Saturday Night Live‘s post-election episodes can be either celebratory or cathartic, depending on the outcome, so choosing the right host to meet the moment is essential.
For the last three of them, Dave Chappelle has been the go-to emcee. He led the charge on the 2016 edition, which was a somber affair indeed (fit with Kate McKinnon, as Hillary Clinton, delivering a mournful rendition of “Hallelujah” as the cold open). Then, in 2020, he returned to Studio 8h to host that year’s post-election special, which was far less morose (this time, with Jim Carrey and Maya Rudolph as Joe Biden and Maya Rudolph dancing to “You About to Lose Your Job” in the cold open, while Alec Baldwin‘s Donald Trump moaned a version of “Macho Man”). He also returned in 2022 to lead the post-midterm elections episode.
His monologues for all three became something of a story unto themselves. In 2016, he had a rather stoic reaction to the election results, noting that there were other urgent issues for people to do something about and promising to give Trump a chance. In 2020, after Biden’s victory, he reminded audiences who were happy to stay humble about it, saying, “I would implore everybody who’s celebrating today to remember it’s good to be a humble winner. Remember when I was here four years ago? Remember how bad that felt? Remember that half the country right now still feels that way. Please remember that.”
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He returned as host for the 2022 post-election show under different circumstances. The comedian was the subject of an employee walk-out at Netflix over his 2021 stand-up special The Closer, in which he made much-criticized jokes about transgender people. In his monologue, he addressed the blowback, saying, “It shouldn’t be this scary to talk about anything. It’s making my job incredibly difficult, I’ll be honest with you.” However, he also talked about the state of affairs, saying, “Watching the news now they’re declaring the end of the Trump era. Now okay, I could see how in New York you might believe this is the end of his era. I’m just being honest with you, I live in Ohio amongst the poor whites. A lot of you don’t understand why Trump was so popular, but I get it because I hear it every day. He’s very loved.”
For the 2024 post-election special, which will take place on Saturday, November 9, a host has not yet been announced, but many suspect Chappelle will return to the post of host once again to continue his streak. “SNL has to have Chappelle host the post-election show. It’s a tradition now,” wrote one fan.
However, some viewers weren’t happy with that possibility — with one writing, “The possibility that Chappelle might host the post-election SNL is turning my stomach.” Those in the latter category have been suggesting other names of stars who could take the stage instead.
“I need Tim Robinson to host the post-election SNL,” one social media user offered. Another pointed to Julia Louis Dreyfus, who has been an active voice in this and previous election cycles, as a possibility. Another internet suggestion for the gig is Harper Steele, the former SNL writer whose transition has been documented in Will & Harper alongside best friend Will Ferrell. And yet another name that’s coming up quite a bit is Seth Meyers, who regularly covers political news on Late Night With Seth Meyers. Other names being floated so far include Tom Hanks, Ali Wong, and even Kate McKinnon.
So who do you want to see on stage that Saturday? Weigh in with our poll below!
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