Dave Chappelle Reflects on Trump’s 2016 Election Impact

In a recent conversation shared publicly, comedian Dave Chappelle opened up about how President Donald Trump’s surprising win in the 2016 election left an emotional mark on the writers of NBC’s Saturday Night Live (SNL).

While chatting with fellow comedian Mo Amer, as part of a variety show segment, Chappelle reflected on his experience hosting SNL shortly after Trump’s unexpected victory. He vividly recalled the mood in the writers’ room that night. “When they called Donald Trump the winner, it closed the writer’s room. You should have seen them there,” he shared. “Boy, they were crying… they couldn’t believe this was happening.”

Amer echoed his own feelings about that time, acknowledging the shock as well. “Yeah, you live in Texas, I live in Ohio, but at 30 Rock it looked like Hillary Clinton was going to win. I don’t know what’s different from those windows,” Chappelle noted, expressing his surprise.

Later, Amer asked Chappelle to reflect on how it felt nearly nine years after delivering his SNL monologue. While Chappelle admitted he hadn’t revisited it recently, he described his memories of it as “lovingly.” He recalled that during the monologue, he had mentioned the importance of giving Trump a chance, a sentiment that Amer brought up. Chappelle responded, “Oh, I remember that part. But do you know that? I see it like a picture. It felt in that moment.”

Chappelle’s appearances on SNL have become something of a tradition. He hosted the show in 2020, just hours after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the presidential election, and he recently celebrated a long-standing relationship with the show during a special in January, right before Trump’s second inauguration.