News that Dave Chappelle will be hosting "Saturday Night Live" has prompted staff writers to boycott this weekend's show, according to reports.
The controversial comedian's gig was confirmed during last week's episode of the long-running sketch show. This sparked outrage among some staff writers at New York City's 30 Rockefeller Plaza who have taken issue with show-runners choosing Chappelle as host considering his history of jokes that have widely been condemned as transphobic and homophobic, a source revealed to Page Six.
"They're not going to do the show," the insider told the outlet. "But none of the actors are boycotting."
A representative however said there was no indication of a boycott when meeting with writers this week.
"The room was full of writers. They all pitched ideas and they seemed very excited about it," the representative told Page Six. "Dave is looking to have some fun."
Last year, Chappelle's special, "The Closer," received considerable criticism from the transgender community for comments made by the comedian that were interpreted as transphobic. At one point during the show, Chappelle defended only two genders by making the point that everyone born has passed through a woman's body.
"Gender is a fact; this is a fact," he said at the time. "Every human being in this room, every human being on Earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on Earth, this, is, a, fact."
Chappelle broke his silence soon after in a stand-up video, saying he is willing to meet with transgender Netflix employees or other members of the transgender community but will not bend "to anybody's demands," Variety reported.
Later, during a visit to his old high school for a fundraiser, the comedian was bombarded with insults by students calling him a "child," a "bigot," and claiming his "comedy kills."
Despite the criticism, the Washington, D.C.-area school decided to name the newly constructed theater the comedian helped fundraise for after him. However, in a turn of events, Chappelle declined the offer while appearing at the venue in June.
Instead, the theater, which was set to be named the "Dave Chappelle Theatre," has been called the "Theater for Artistic Freedom & Expression."
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