Comedian Dave Chappelle will indeed be hosting "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, amid reports that a few of the show's writers are upset about his appearance.
This Saturday will mark Chappelle's third time hosting the long-running NBC comedy show, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"SNL" released promo videos previewing his appearance on Thursday, including one clip that seemingly poked fun at the backlash sparked by the announcement of his return.
In the promo, Chappelle announces that he is hosting with musical guest Black Star when "SNL" cast member Ego Nwodim asks, "Wait, we're doing it live?"
When Chappelle responds that they are, she says, "With you?"
Chappelle replies, "Obviously," at which point Nwodim asks, "In this news cycle?"
Once he confirms, Nwodim responds, "Interesting."
In a different video, Chappelle jokes that he will be hosting "an episode that's so Black, it's going to be on BET."
The comedian quickly adds, "Just kidding — it'll be right here on NBC."
According to the Reporter, the choice of Chappelle triggered criticism due to the jokes he made about the transgender community during his 2021 Netflix special "The Closer."
Some "SNL" staff writers have opted to sit out the episode, according to a Page Six report, though Chappelle's representative told the outlet that there was "no evidence of a boycott."
Celeste Yim, an "SNL" writer who uses they/them pronouns, recently posted a message to their Instagram stories that seemed to reference Chappelle's hosting gig.
"I'm trans and non-binary," Yim's message read, according to a screenshot shared to Reddit. "Transphobia is murder and it should be condemned."
According to the Reporter, all three of Chappelle's appearances on "SNL" will have occurred less than a week after a national election, with the last taking place Nov. 7, 2020.
The late night sketch comedy show airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. on NBC.
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