Comedian Dave Chappelle has come under fire for his recent monologue on Saturday Night Live which has been called “antisemitic” by numerous viewers. The opening routine—during which Chappelle addressed the recent antisemitic comments made by rapper Kanye West—has received significant backlash for “normalising antisemitic views”.

Fellow comedians Jon Stewart and Jerry Seinfeld—both of whom are of Jewish descent—have commented on Chappelle’s jokes. Stewart defended the Chappelle during a guest appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night. He refused to accept that the jokes “normalized antisemitism” and said, “I don’t believe that censorship and penalties are the way to end antisemitism or to not gain understanding. I don’t believe in that. I think it’s the wrong way to approach it.” Seinfeld told the Hollywood Reporter, he believes Chappelle’s monologue, “provokes a conversation which hopefully is productive.”

And the latest person to voice their opinion on this polarizing set is Reggie Watts. The comedian and bandleader of The Late Late Show with James Corden has accused Chappelle of using “hack jokes” and “bigoted” humour in a Twitter post.

“Damn @DaveChappelle. I hope you consider a different approach to your current social commentary. It’s feeling joyless and lacking the enlightenment you used to inspire. I understand the idea of crossing the line, but there are many more subversive yet unifying ways to do so,” he wrote.

Watts received mixed reactions to his tweet including support, further questions and criticism regarding his own body of work.

Chappelle was at the centre of a controversy in October 2021 following the release of his Netflix special The Closer for allegedly making transphobic jokes.