
The comedian brings along some Chappelle's Show favorites for his fourth time hosting while offering blistering commentary on a variety of topical stories as well as a plea for Americans -- including incoming President Trump -- to "be better" than we have been.
Dave Chappelle has entered the building, and he must have dug into all the corners because we think he found every laugh Saturday Night Live had laying around. This was a tour de force of comedy, which is going to be hard to beat for season's best.
In his fourth time hosting, Dave proved why a former sketch performer and standup comic is the perfect ingredient for SNL. Not only are they able to step in and really kill it each time they hit the stage, but they have their own strong comedic voice from start to finish, which adds a freshness to the formula.
Many critics of this show argue that it plays it too safe now and has become almost formulaic in its approach and schedule, that throughout any show, you basically know what to expect next. That's why a strong comedic voice is so valuable, because it can shake up expectations.

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View StoryDave is also a fearless comic, as proven by him already having jokes queued up for the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires, as well as Trump's upcoming second term. But he's a savvy writer, so he's definitely proven capable of evolving with the changing comedic times, almost never punching down with this show, instead taking his shots at privilege or himself.
His opening standup monologue was a marathon of topical material, while he (of course) later brought back some Chappelle's Show favorites to prove that they're just as funny today as they were when he was the dominant voice in comedy and sketch TV. He was even poignant at times, using his own power, privilege, and influence, to try and leave us on a note of hope and inspiration amid divided and uncertain times.
As usual, we're ranking all the sketches from worst to first, including the Monologue, Cold Open, "Weekend Update" and any sketches that were cut for time but made their way online. We'll skip the musical guests, because they're not usually funny -- unless Ashlee Simpson shows up. We wrap up with a look at the cast-member who had the strongest week.

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View StoryCold Open: Pre-Inauguration MSNBC
Sarah Sherman took the lead as Rachel Maddow along a panel of MSNBC's strangest panelists including the seductive Stephanie Ruhle (Chloe Bennett), the hip-hop quoting Ari Melber (Marcello Hernández), not-Rachel-Maddow Chris Hayes (Andrew Dismukes), and trying to bo the voice of reason, Ego Nwodim's Joy Reid.
On the eve of Inauguration Day, the MSNBC players vowed to not get sucked into his crazy tweet-stractions only to be hit with breaking news story after breaking news story, starting with his plant to "trade Connecticut for Italy," and ending with him revealing he's "stuck watching MS-DNC" and saying, "This lineup looks like 'Scooby-Doo: Oops All Velma.'
James Austin Johnson's rambling Trump is back and got a big laugh for saying there were just too many people to host his inauguration outside, while Bowen Yang's random appearance as new Secretary of Fact-Checking, George Santos, was also a huge hit. As we gear up for Trump Administration 2.0, SNL looks like they're ready to poke fun at another four years of whatever craziness he's about to spew next … because it's more interesting, at least, than actual boring trade talks.
Pop the Balloon
As always with a Dave Chappell-hosted show, hints of Chappelle's Show crept in, with Dave's Silky Johnson taking on Arlette Amuli's (Ego Nwodim) Pop the Balloon or Find Love social media game. Donnell Rawlings also dropped by to revive his Ashy Larry character as the next single looking for love in the ruthless game of popped balloons, broken hearts, and bad decisions. It was fast-paced, chaotic fun to wrap up the night, just like the crazy show it's based on.

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Dave Chappelle seemed to be enjoying Marcello Hernández's jokes even outside of his character as neighbor "Black Richard." This was a much stronger installment of the recurring sketch, and a lot of that had to do with the playful energy Dave brought to it, not to mention the way he delivered his commentary about being a father. Devon Walker's walk-on role as his son ("Hey man, nice to meet you") was one of the funniest moments, while both Dave and Marcello were fantastic reacting to Mikey Day's very white family and parenting ways. All in all, this was big on laughs, but we definitely are giving most of the credit to Dave.
Missing Girlfriend
Kenan Thompson's mastery of the reaction was on full display as a janitor helping a young Black man, Devon Walker, not guess the weight of his missing girlfriend at the police station, or offer any other incriminator descriptors that could get him in trouble … if she's ever found. It was one of those simple sketches that was elevated by solid performances, with Devon proving a great foil for Kenan's physical comedy. Simple can be very effective when it's executed this adroitly.

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View StoryMonologue: Dave Chappelle
Dave Chappelle came out with something to say and he definitely took the time to say it in a nearly 20 minute standup monologue that tore through the Los Angeles fires, Trump's inflammatory comments about Hatians in Springfield, Ohio, Diddy's legal troubles, and even his experiences when Jimmy Carter went to the Middle East as a former president. It was powerfully funny, with Chappelle managing to tackle controversial subject matter without punching down -- save for one quip at West Hollywood (but they would have probably loved it).
He's a very deft comedian, one of the sharpest writers in the business, and filled his commentary with huge laughs and thoughtful moments. He was playful with the crowd, who he had shouting back by the end when he turned to sincerity to plead with America and the incoming president to be "better" than we have been.
This was one of the all-time strongest standup monologues in the history of this show. A couple of our favorite bits included him opening by saying that Lorne Michaels asked him to host the show right after the election, and his response was "Nah, man, I'm cool." He then said he finally agreed to do this show, and "the moment I said yes, LA burst into flames." And he never looked back.
Weekend Update
It really does seem like when the host elevates the show, "Update" gets a boost, too. Or maybe we're just all in a better mood. Either way, Colin Jost and Michel Che kicked off with some very funny bits about Trump's new presidential photo, Zuckerberg flying down to Mar-a-Lago, "and boy are his knees tired," the Israel-Hamas cease fire, Rudy Giuliani, RFK, and Biden naming an aircraft carrier "covered in seamen" after Clinton. Almost every joke landed with this very warmed up audience, too, only heightening the positive experience.
Michael Longfellow is one of those comics who has a very dry and very funny delivery, which served him well as this wasn't the strongest overall commentary about the end of TikTok. Nevertheless, he managed to make it entertaining with his acerbic approach. Most of the takes on the popular app, that went dark ahead over the weekend ahead of today's proposed ban -- but is expected to get a reprieve come Trump's return tomorrow -- were all the obvious ones about lack of attention span, its addictive qualities, and concerns China is using it to harvest American users' data. The commentary was meh, but Longfellow has great charisma.

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View StoryOften a throwaway segment of non-political commentary, Jost got a huge reaction when he debuted his new segment "Hear Me Out" about the arrest of a political cartoonist over AI child porn, which he followed up by a hilariously awkward N'Awlins accent for another midnight. We learned Che's Hustler Club nickname and laughed along with the boys as they were clearly having a lot of fun with this week's show.
Any excuse for Sarah Sherman to come out and rip on Jost is a good one for me, and the prosthetics and makeup work to transform her into the OG Nosferatu was stellar. The black-and-white dramatic cuts only heightened the absolute absurdity of her comments, while Jost is always funny when he poorly and reluctantly reads terrible lines. We still say that if an opportunity were to come to bring Sarah to the news desk, she would kill it! If these two retire while she's still on the cast, it has to happen!
Evacuation Alert
Absolute madness unfolds for a family of three when they get the evacuation alert from the encroaching LA fires. From there, Dave Chappelle's father-figure started to reveal -- bit by bit -- who he really is and what his life really is like, much to the sock of his chagrined wife Ego Nwodim and overwhelmed, bassoon playing teen son, Devon Walker. From comedic blood sprays to hidden compartments seemingly everywhere in the house, this sketch just got more absurd and more funny as it went along. It was sheer insanity, but so beautifully executed from start to finish. This is what happens when a seasoned comedian and sketch performer who knows how to push the envelope gets involved.

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View StoryPLAYER OF THE WEEK
After an extended standup monologue, the number of sketches was drastically reduced tonight, while Dave Chappelle dominated most of the ones he appeared in, pushing the cast to largely supporting roles. The two that managed to shine the brightest did so with appearances that did not include tonight's host: Sarah Sherman and Kenan Thompson.
Kenan Thompson almost stole the show with his janitor character, working opposite Devon Walker to help keep the youngster out of trouble with his missing girlfriend. Kenan is one of the best reaction comics the show has ever had and he used every bit of it in this piece, creating one hilarious moment after the other.
He also came out strong as a schlub in the Pop the Balloon parody sketch, but it just wasn't enough to overshadow Sarah's mostly strong opening as Rachel Maddow, as she continues to hone and strengthen her sketch work and her impression work. She's becoming a true force to be reckoned with on this show.
Then you add her stellar take on the original Nosferatu for yet another brilliantly unhinged "Update" appearance, and you've got the makings of another viral moment. Sarah and Bowen Yang have mastered the art of the silly "Update" guest spot, managing to find the funny in the most random characters, exemplifying their unique comedic voices and their value to this cast.
We said it before and we'll say it again, if Colin Jost or Michael Che ever step away from the desk, you have to look at Sarah to take one of those slots. She proved on her "Sarah's News" segments prior to this season that she can pull off the news delivery take, and we suspect she'd be even stronger now. Plus, her comedic take on the news would definitely be unique, creating fresh and unexpected laughs.
Saturday Night Live returns next week with host and musical guest Timothée Chalamet.
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