Days after the announcement came that Dave Chappelle will be hosting Saturday Night Live for the first time next week, the oft-reclusive comedian booked a few shows around New York City leading up to his late-night gig. According to The Observer, though, his Friday evening show was mostly dedicated to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. While Chappelle noted that he voted early for Clinton, he said that he “didn’t feel good” about his decision and expressed some ill will toward the Democratic nominee. “She’s going to be on a coin someday,” he said. “And her behavior has not been coin-worthy. She’s not right and we all know she’s not right.” For a comparison, he equated voting for Clinton to having Halle Berry fart on his face during sex. “I’m still going to go for it,” he said. “But I wish she hadn’t done that thing.”
That “thing,” Chappelle said, is that he believes Clinton had some role in leaking the lewd conversation recorded between Trump and Billy Bush. “What I heard on that tape was gross,” Chappelle explained. “But the way I got to hear it was even more gross. You know that came directly from Hillary.” He continued to say that he doesn’t believe Trump’s comments to Bush were admitting to sexual assault in the recorded conversation. “Sexual assault? It wasn’t. He said, ‘And when you’re a star, they let you do it.’ That phrase implies consent,” Chappelle said. “I just don’t like the way the media twisted that whole thing. Nobody questioned it.”
Update, November 6: A representative for Chappelle issued a statement to Variety regarding the reaction to his set: “Dave is disgusted by the tone of the election and especially by the idea that his comedy would be misconstrued to defend [Donald T]rump. His comedy show blasted both candidates. By the way, he voted for Hillary [Clinton].”
