Even seasoned comedians like Dave Chappelle and the cast of Saturday Night Live were at a loss for words following the results of the 2016 election. But when the post-election episode aired on November 12, guest host Chappelle still had to deliver a monologue that acknowledged the Trump presidency without totally bumming out the live studio audience. Unfortunately, his words of consolation didn’t have the intended effect—the Chappelle Show co-creator told shellshocked viewers he was prepared to “give [Trump] a chance,” while also demanding that the destroyer of civil liberties give one to “the historically disenfranchised.”
Apparently, a recent visit to the White House—which, at the time, still housed the 44th president, Barack Obama—had left Chappelle feeling “hopeful and proud to be an American,” which was what prompted his benevolence. Not everyone was feeling as optimistic, though, so Chappelle’s comments didn’t go over too well, despite not really being anything to get in a snit over. But now the comedian is expressing regret for even suggesting that we give Trump a wide berth in his Oval Office tenure. NBC’s Sunday Today host Willie Geist caught Chappelle’s set at New York’s Robin Hood gala, where the comedian admitted he’d “fucked up” by saying he’d give Trump a chance.
Later in his set, Chappelle criticized Trump’s Muslim ban, while admitting that he was probably preaching to the choir.