Dave Chapelle sparks furious backlash for making 'AIDS joke' during SNL monologue

Dave Chappelle sparked a backlash by making a joke about Aids on Saturday Night Live.

The comedian said:

Trump getting coronavirus was like when Freddie Mercury got Aids. Nobody was like, well how did he get it?

Chapelle made the joke while summing up 2020 in the first episode of SNL since Biden won the US presidency.

He was criticised for being "insensitive" and accused of homophobia.

Chappelle has built a career making these kinds of jokes.

His 2019 Netflix special, Sticks and Stones was criticised for "punching down" at women, LGBTQ+ people and survivors of sexual abuse. He also has a history of making jokes at the expense of gay and trans people.

In 2016 while hosting SNL, Chapelle said he was willing to "give [Trump] a chance" during his presidency, although he did concede that "America's elected an internet troll".

He appeared to recant this comment and began to address allegations of transphobia during a comedy show the following year. He read out a letter from a trans fan to an audience in Washington DC, but stopped short at actually apologising for his words.

From Chappelle's more recent work, though, it appears that he's unwilling to move on from trying to shock audiences and generate controversy.

Trump's presidency was defined by his racism, misogyny and transphobia.

With those four years finally over, isn't it time to try to move on?

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