Many thought that Dave Chappelle's performance as host last month on SNL gave the live sketch comedy series one of its best episodes in a long time. A highlight was his opening monologue, during which he addressed Trump's victory and its racial implications and also brought back some of his most memorable "Chappelle's Show" characters. As yet another reminder of how divided the country is, there were some Americans who were outraged by Chappelle's routine. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) received more than a dozen complaints about Chappelle's SNL appearance, mostly due to language that was believed to be racist, vulgar, or slanderous in its depiction of Trump's America.
The complaints, which have been posted on MuckRack.com, include a handful of viewers who specifically mention Chappelle's repeated use of the word "n*gger." Some were upset that audio of the word was not censored by NBC even though text of the word was edited for closed captioning. One woman wrote:
"I would like for someone to inform me as to why NBC can get away with having Dave Chappelle on SNL speak the "N" word over and over, yet the closed captions show N----- so that the hearing impaired are not subject to what I had to hear. This in my opinion is discrimination pure and simple. I would like an explanation as to why my husband was blocked from reading the actual word that was broadcast."
Others were bothered about Chappelle's implication that Trump's election was related to the pervasive racism that still exists in America.
The FCC has responded to all of the complaints one-by-one, in each case explaining that it did not have the authority to censor any of the SNL content that might have led to the grievances in question.
There were, however, certain local networks, such as North Carolina's WRAL-TV, that decided not to air part of Chappelle's monologue, citing his inappropriate language.
Watch the monologue below.
