Simply making an attempt to place myself within the footwear of an SNL host proper earlier than their monologue scares me. So, I can’t think about what it’s like to truly stroll by that Studio 8H door. Nonetheless, Dave Chappelle simply made it a bit simpler to image as he defined why it’s all the time “somewhat terrifying.” And I’ve to say, after studying how he prepares for that second, I completely get why.
Earlier on the 2025 TV schedule, Dave Chappelle was considered one of SNL’s Season 50 hosts, which marked his fourth time doing the gig. So, at this level, he is aware of what to anticipate. Nonetheless, whereas chatting with Mo Amer throughout Selection’s Actors on Actors, he bought actual about what it’s like to organize for the job after which stroll onto the stage. He began by explaining that stay tv is a unique kind of beast for a stand-up, saying:
The primary one particularly was winging it. However I’ve been doing it lengthy sufficient that you just’re by no means actually winging it. Even when I don’t have jokes, I bought expertise sufficient. However on stay tv, it’s harmful. You bought to navigate requirements and practices and all the remainder of it. However to Lorne Michaels’ credit score, he by no means is aware of what I’m going to say. As a convention, I by no means do my precise monologue in rehearsal.
Properly, listening to that he’s type of “winging it” and he gained’t do his monologue in rehearsal partially explains why it’s “somewhat terrifying.” Nonetheless, it additionally speaks to the belief Lorne Michaels has in Chappelle to ship when he walks by that door to kick off the present.
After explaining that he’ll merely use his rehearsal time to verify the sound and get used to the house, the stand-up went on to debate why internet hosting SNL is each “exhilarating” and a bit scary. Noting the strain and bounds that include stay TV, he stated:
It’s a lot strain on stay tv. The enjoyment of doing that present for me is the monologue. What a present for a stand-up to have the ability to do what he does on stay tv on such a revered platform like SNL is. It’s all the time exhilarating. It’s somewhat terrifying, however just a bit.
Now, contemplating Chappelle’s stand-up specials (you may watch them with a Netflix subscription) nearly all the time trigger debate amongst viewers, I assumed he picked his jokes fastidiously for SNL. So, I used to be shocked to study that he doesn’t rehearse it in entrance of others earlier than the taping. Nonetheless, as he stated, he’s been doing this job lengthy sufficient that his “expertise” has ready him for these moments.
General, he reiterated that whereas it’s a kind of terrifying expertise, it by no means goes as dangerous or pretty much as good as he thinks it should:
You by no means do pretty much as good as you assume you’re going to do, but it surely’s by no means that dangerous.
He’s proper, I discover that when a stand-up hosts SNL, their monologue is nearly all the time one of many strongest factors of the episode, as a result of it’s the time the place they’re really of their component. Nonetheless, though they’re doing what they’re nice at, they nonetheless need to face new challenges.
For instance, when Chappelle hosted proper after the 2020 election, he needed to put together two units as a result of the race wasn’t referred to as on election day. He stated:
The toughest one was perhaps the one when Biden bought elected, as a result of we didn’t know he was going to be president till Saturday morning. So I had a set for if Trump gained, and I had a set for if Biden gained.
Yeah, that sounds scary too! Nonetheless, it went nicely, and clearly SNL thought so too, as a result of the comic has returned to host the present 4 instances between 2016 and 2025.
General, I completely get why Dave Chappelle stated doing SNL is all the time kind of scary. Listening to about how he preps and the circumstances he’s hosted beneath, it makes good sense. Now, I’ll 100% be interested by all of this as I re-watch the present with my Peacock subscription and look ahead to Season 51.