Dave Chappelle Captures Attention With His Comments on Trump and Jimmy Carter

After cracking up the audience with his Diddy jokes, Chappelle switched tones and got serious.

Legendary comedian Dave Chappelle brought the laughs with a masterful 16-minute monologue to open SNL’s first episode of 2025.

After delivering a range of laugh-out-loud moments, his message to Trump is now commanding widespread attention.

Audience members started rolling when Chappelle discussed the catastrophic wildfires that devastated California—to which he dropped a hilarious conspiracy theory on what started the fires in the first place.

“What started these fires? Now they say it’s arsonists. I’ve heard this theory, and I’m sure there were some arsonists, but there were a lot of elements that came together to make this fire the catastrophe that it was,” Chappelle said as he was setting up the punchline.

“The winds were 100 miles an hour. LA was dry as a bone in the levees. And there were just too many factors. If you are a rational, thinking person, you have to at least consider the possibility that God hates these people.”

Next came a laugh-out-loud, three-minute story about Diddy and why Chappelle was never invited to his “freak offs.”

True to his style, Chappelle leaned into self-pity, coming to an amusing conclusion that left the audience rolling.

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Things took a serious turn when Chappelle mentioned that flags would be flown at half-staff during Trump’s inauguration due to the death of former Democratic President Jimmy Carter.

Chappelle admitted he wasn’t qualified to judge whether Carter was a good president, but he did reach a conclusion about whether he was a good man.

“I was in the Middle East years ago after I quit my show. I was trying to find out what I wanted to do with my life. And while I was there, Jimmy Carter flew to Israel. So everybody in the region was talking about a former American president being in the Middle East.

“And while he was in Israel, a book of his was released, and its title was very controversial in Israel. The title of the book was Palestine Peace, Not Apartheid. People were very mad in Israel. There were a lot of mean stories that came out in the paper, but some people were supportive.

“And while he was there, Jimmy Carter said, I want to go to the Palestinian territory. And the Israeli government said, it’s too dangerous, and if you go, we cannot protect you. And, man, Jimmy Carter went anyway.

“I will never forget the images of a former American president walking with little to no security while thousands of Palestinians were cheering them on. And when I saw that picture, it brought tears to my eyes. I said I don’t know if that’s a good president, but that right there, I am sure, is a great man,” Chappelle said.

The viral moment of the night happened when Chappelle shifted from former President Carter to Donald Trump.

“The presidency is no place for petty people,” Chappelle declared before turning to the camera and uttering Trump’s name.

“I know you [Donald Trump] watch the show,” he continued, delivering a direct plea to the incoming president.

“Remember, whether people voted for you or not, they’re all counting on you. Whether they like you or not, they’re all counting on you. The whole world is counting on you,” Chappelle said.

“I mean this when I say this. Good luck. Please do better next time. Please, all of us, do better next time. Do not forget your humanity. And please have empathy for displaced people, whether they’re in the Palisades or Palestine. Thank you very much, and good night.”

While doing better is an important message for everyone, some find it unfair that Chappelle singled out Trump, especially when Biden revealed his disdain for half the country by calling them “garbage,” a moment that hit Democrats hard this election cycle.

While I love Dave Chappelle’s comedy and he’ll always be a legend, maybe he should reflect and do better himself. A plea that makes only one side sound like they’re not striving to be a president for everyone just ends up splitting the country more. What do you think?

Click here to watch the full opening monologue.