Fans of “Saturday Night Live” opened their Instagram and X feeds Jan. 10 to yet another jumpscare from the show’s producers: Dave Chappelle will be hosting SNL for the fourth time Jan. 18 — the first show of 2025. 

This appearance will also mark his second time hosting since Chappelle’s controversial comedy special “The Closer” debuted on Netflix in October of 2021, which featured several jabs at the LGBTQIA+ community, specifically dismissing the existence of trans people. 

Though the comedian has an extensive history of making light of queer issues, this incident launched an onslaught of public backlash and significantly diminished his popularity among Generation Z and Millennials.

“I feel like that even though I admire when SNL goes for more risks whether it be in the host or the sketches they perform, this is more so a very avoidable headache,” said Frankie Alvarez Lora X, a junior majoring in theatre. “Even though Dave Chappelle has had an incredible career, his recent statements over the trans community have really led a lot of people to turn away from his work, myself included.” 

In spite of the backlash artists like Chappelle publicly receive, platforms like SNL and Netflix continue to provide them with opportunities to showcase their material.

“I think there is some double standard where other comics and celebrities who were ‘canceled’ have never been on SNL again, but for some reason, he is still able to host but also have several Netflix specials as well,” Alvarez said.

Despite his infamy among a majority of SNL’s viewership, the show’s producers made him the opener of the 50th season’s second half and as the musical guest, the producers stuck him with GloRilla, a beloved Gen Z rapper, to assuage some of the possible backlash. This marks the third time in the 50th season alone that SNL’s producers have shown that they are losing touch with the interests of the majority of their audience. 

Hosts Bill Burr, with musical guest Mk.gee, and Chris Rock, with musical guest Gracie Abrams, also left young, loyal viewers tuning in out of habit or curiosity in the musical guests rather than excitement, with Michael Keaton only surviving the fire thanks to a surprising show of comedic timing and smashing performances from SNL alum, Billie Eilish.

When picking through the current season’s roster thus far, it appears as though the producers chose a slew of hosts that reflect their own allegiances within the entertainment industry. Then, they send in a chronically online intern to add a trending musical guest to balance out the lack of connection younger viewers have when tuning in to an episode in which a comedy icon of previous generations struggles to adapt to the evolving culture of online comedy.

“I think it’s a prime example of seniority over quality in the entertainment industry, especially in comedy,” said Arabella Varieur, a senior majoring in screenwriting. “SNL is mining its nostalgia-driven relevance while forgetting that certain status quos and behaviors should be left in the past.”

For example, Nov. 9’s episode featured the SNL debut of up-and-coming indie-alternative artist Mk.gee, sparking fervent excitement from his small yet vocal and passionate fanbase — and Bill Burr also hosted. Like Chappelle, he’s had a history of making unsavory jokes about the LGBTQIA+ community, with one specific instance being during a 2020 SNL monologue. As a result, the most viral moment of his 2024 appearance was introducing Mk.gee’s musical performances. 

To be fair to SNL, the show has a well-documented and semi-successful history of attempting to mediate the obscurity or lack of popularity of certain hosts with more popular musical guests, and vice versa. 

Though Season 50’s second show featured a relatively lesser-known comedian like Nate Bargatze — a performer most popular among older Gen Z and Millennials — older viewers like those within Gen X flocked to watch Coldplay play some hits to satisfy their nostalgia. 

However, when a host is unpopular because they have a history of isolating marginalized viewers, potential audience members will simply wait for the episode to come out and be subsequently clipped into oblivion into chewable bites on social media. This way, they can avoid watching anything they don’t think they’ll find funny while also not supporting an artist who does not support their identity. 

“I think the main demographic of SNL is changing to a community that no longer supports people like [Chappelle], and it’s a sad reminder that SNL can [be] and is still very tone-deaf and has a hard time finding the line between ‘edgy humor’ and just a bad person,” Alvarez said.

As an institution, SNL has the power to debut or promote new voices in both comedy and music, and yet in what is a benchmark, half-centennial season, they are choosing to reinforce industry giants of an increasingly obsolete tradition of comedy — with hosts like Chappelle receiving prime scheduling like the first episode of the new year. 

“Comedy is supposed to be an art form that challenges existing hierarchies, but SNL will never be more than an echo of Hollywood performative liberal elitism,” said Josh Morton, a senior majoring in theatre with an emphasis in comedy.

This trend represents a step backward from the crucial role that scheduling plays in SNL’s unique format. Hosts and musical guests need to be paired and scheduled with as much care as a DJ reading the room at a party, watching closely for the nuances between the attendees while also having a massive breadth of knowledge about what a certain crowd might want to hear. 

If your DJ set revolves around country music in a crowd full of cigarette-smoking, KAYTRANADA-loving ravers, they’re not going to stay for the finale. If your comedy set revolves around invalidating marginalized identities and your viewership is made up of generations that maintain a higher awareness regarding identity politics, they’re not going to watch your awkward, out-of-touch monologue.

Time and viewership counts can only tell how Chappelle and GloRilla’s episode will fare live and online, but based on a repeated disregard for its viewership’s demographic, SNL’s scheduling and programming decision-makers should be on the hunt for fresh blood and less transphobic hosts.

Anna Jordan is a sophomore writing about pop culture controversies in her column, “Chronically Online,” which runs every other Thursday.