On Dave Chapelle and the Jews

Comedy is not pretty.
-Steve Martin.

I love Dave Chapelle. I’ve laughed at his line-crossing humor, including his monologue from this past weekend’s “Saturday Night Live” that had the dual effect of also making me uncomfortable as a Jew.

I consider myself to be a student of comedy. Most people I interact with think I’m funny and I often get asked why I’m not a stand-up comedian. I guess I’d be good at it, but it seems like a whole lot of work, going to the comedy open mic circuits, and I’m at the point in my life where I’m just tired.

That having been said, I continue my studies, not just for entertainment, but also to inform my appreciation of comedy and for my eventual great act.

There’s an unwritten rule in comedy that draws from a line often attributed to Mark Twain: “Tragedy plus time equals comedy.” What this means is that everything is funny; you just need to wait an appropriate amount of time before you joke about it. There are some notable exceptions to this. For many people the Holocaust will never be a source of humor and that joking about it will cause problems for everyone. (This makes me wonder about the pitch meeting for the old show “Hogan’s Heroes.” “It’s a comedy set in a German prisoner of war camp — hilarious!”) The secret part to this rule of comedy is that for many comedians everything is funny immediately. They (and possibly we) just know, at least most of the time, not to say it right away while the tragedy is still fresh in the public’s mind.

Enter Dave Chapelle, fresh off his not quite cancellation by the trans community and supporters due to his alleged transphobic material. 

Dave’s monologue, which was lengthy in terms of the amount of time hosts are typically given, dealt with many things, including Kanye West, the midterm elections and, of course, the Jews. As a self-professed student of comedy, I have studied Chapelle’s sets thoroughly. I have watched all his Netflix shows. I have seen a handful of his TV show episodes, and I have followed his career with a great deal of enjoyment for a long time. I must admit, I laughed throughout his entire monologue, even when he mentioned “the Jews” and it became awkward. I knew when I heard this that it was going to be a problem for a lot of people. I wondered if before he came out on stage he was thinking, “Am I not doing enough to get canceled?” This monologue may speed the process along.

Dave implied that we’re not allowed to talk about “the Jews” and that although Jews may not run Hollywood, there sure are a lot of Jews in the industry. I believe that’s actually true. Southern California has one of the largest Jewish populations in the world. Many Jews come to Los Angeles, or stay, to have access to and be comforted by the large Jewish community. Here in LA, we find Jews in any corner of our city.

I don’t believe that Chapelle is transphobic or antisemitic. I think shock value humor has always been successful, and among the funniest. 

I don’t believe that Chapelle is transphobic or antisemitic. I think shock value humor has always been successful, and among the funniest. There’s a reason why “South Park,” which has crossed every conceivable line, and many we didn’t even know existed, is so successful. Most of us find it very funny.

But how comedy is delivered makes a difference. In the “Weekend Update” segment of “SNL,” Michael Che delivered a very funny joke about newly-elected women governors. It crossed a line, implying that in the states where women were not governors, dinner would be served on time. I’ll give you a minute to be shocked by this. Michael’s reaction to his own joke, gave us a clear signal that he was just kidding and saying something he doesn’t believe, just for the sake of humor. Everyone in the audience laughed. 

The difference with Chapelle is that he delivers his shocking lines with the acknowledged context that he is offending people who are trying to silence or cancel him. His delivery implies he believes what he is saying, and that it’s actually important that he gets to say it. And that’s the potential problem with his recent monologue.

Comedy has always been an important platform for social commentary on politics or any world events, and it should continue to be that. But delivery matters.

Much of the Twitter-verse responded with comments suggesting that this was the best thing “SNL” has done in decades. There were also some comments from Jews, calling out the antisemitism they heard from Chappelle’s set.

I laughed while I watched his monologue. But as a Jewish person deeply immersed in the news cycle, which lately comes complete with daily instances of antisemitism, I found Chappelle’s portrayal of Jews as the mysterious other uncomfortable.

Perhaps it sounds like I’m equivocating too much. I admit to appreciating Chappelle’s comedy on its own terms. I laughed while I watched his monologue. But as a Jewish person deeply immersed in the news cycle, which lately comes complete with daily instances of antisemitism, I found Chappelle’s portrayal of Jews as the mysterious other uncomfortable. Twitter has told me I’m not the only one.

P.S. Dave, please stop smoking, especially in front of audiences. This is going to kill you much sooner than the court of a public opinion will, and it’s a terrible example for children and all humans.

Rick Lupert is the poet in residence at the Jewish Journal, the author of 26 books of poems, including “God Wrestler: a Poem for Every Torah Portion“ and “I Am Not Writing a Book of Poems in Hawaii.“ Find him at www.jewishpoetry.net.