Dave Chappelle Jabbed at the Palisades Fires, Diddy and President Trump in His 17-Minute-Long 'SNL' Monologue

Decked out with a suit and a smoldering cigarette, Dave Chappelle made his return to Studio 8H last night as the first Saturday Night Live host of 2025, albeit begrudgingly. In his opening monologue, the famous comic — who has stirred up plenty of controversy and criticism in the past few years for anti-trans and antisemitic jokes in his stand-up routines — revealed that he turned down several hosting offers from SNL head honcho Lorne Michaels before agreeing with the caveat that he wanted to host the episode "closest to January 6th."

“The moment I said yes, LA burst into flames," Chappelle said, kicking off the episode with 15-plus minutes of stand-up material that quickly veered into uncomfortable territory. "And it’s a tough one, you know what I mean, because I’m tired of being controversial, I’m trying to turn over a new leaf. And it is way too soon to be doing jokes about a catastrophe like that." Unsurprisingly, the comedian then did just that, poking fun at the ongoing California wildfires (“This is the most expensive natural disaster that’s ever happened in United States history... because people in LA have nice stuff. I could burn 40,000 acres in Mississippi for like $600 or $700") before cycling through some "old Trump jokes" and bits about the Haitian community of his native Springfield, Ohio.

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After punchlines about Sean "Diddy" Combs and his heavily-oiled "Freak Off" parties — which Chappelle quipped he was too "ugly" to be invited to — the comic turned earnest, paying tribute to the late President Jimmy Carter. "The presidency is no place for petty people," Chappelle added, before addressing POTUS-to-be Donald Trump directly: "Whether people voted for you or not, they're all counting on you. Whether people like you or not, they're all counting on you. The whole world is counting on you." He ended with a plea for us all: "Do not forget your humanity. And please have empathy for displaced people, whether they're in the Palisades or Palestine."

Related: Every 'Saturday Night Live' Host of Season 50 (Including the Latest Additions)

You can watch the entire opening monologue here:

Related: 'SNL' Reveals Next Two Hosts and Musical Guests for Season 50