American comedian Dave Chapelle recently mentioned Kyrie Irving and Kanye West during his opening segment on Saturday Night Live (SNL). With Chapelle having a penchant for calling out celebrities, the popular comedian took a shot at Irving and West for their recent antics.
Kyrie Irving became a topic of discussion following his controversial tweet which sponsored an anti-Semitic film. Although the tweet was taken down, the Brooklyn Nets star faced significant backlash for his actions.
However, Irving isn't a standalone figure in this recent trend of antisemitism among celebrities. Popular rapper and producer Kanye West could be viewed as the ignition point for all this drama.
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Irving and West were vaguely linked when the rapper posted about Irving on his Instagram and called him one of the few "real ones" out there. However, unlike West, who doubled down on his actions, Irving apologized for his behavior.
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In light of all the controversy, Dave Chapelle decided to address the topic during his opening monolog on SNL. However, given the context of the show, there were bound to be hilarious connotations.
Chapelle kicked off the monolog by saying:
"Thank you very much for being here. But before I start tonight, I just wanted to read a brief statement that I prepared. 'I denounce antisemitism in all its forms. And I stand with my friends in the Jewish community.' And that, Kanye, is how you buy yourself some time."
Chapelle continued by tracing the chronology of Kanye's meltdown. While taking shots at the rapper in the process, the comedian also took a shot at Irving. He said:
"Kanye got in so much trouble, Kyrie got in trouble."
Chapelle highlighted the events that took place leading up to Irving's suspension from the NBA. However, he didn't believe Irving deserved to be made a target for his actions. Instead, he suggested:
"A fair punishment would be - you should just post a link to Schindler's List and y'all write your own captions because Kyrie Irving's black a** was nowhere near the holocaust. In fact, he's not even certain it existed."
Chapelle handled the situation masterfully as he treaded the fine line between being edgy and controversial. Given the crowd's response, the opening could be viewed as a success as well.
Chapelle's views on the matter only reflect the gravity of the situation, especially in Kyrie Irving's case. As he remains suspended from any team activities, the Nets star continues to miss games.
No update on Kyrie Irving's return
As mentioned earlier, Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving faced a significant amount of backlash for his promotion of antisemitic sentiments. Given the lack of remorse he showed immediately after his actions, the Nets were forced to take definitive action against him.
In light of this, Irving has already missed games. However, he has begun the process of moving towards his return.
Irving was presented with a list of tasks to accomplish in order to facilitate his return to the league. Having met with franchise owner Joe Tsai recently, the Nets guard has made significant progress on this front.
However, Tsai himself has mentioned that there is no fixed timeline on when the superstar will return.
Meanwhile, fellow Nets superstar Kevin Durant, who has been in touch with Kyrie, mentioned that Irving has kept his spirits "high". This could be viewed positively as it reflects the desire towards improving himself and returning to Brooklyn as soon as possible.
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