Dave Chappelle returned to host Saturday Night Live on January 18, delivering a 17-minute opening monologue filled with humor and commentary on current events. Among the many topics discussed, Chappelle touched on the ongoing legal troubles of Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Chappelle, 51, kicked off his monologue with a humorous analogy about fame. “It’s just no fun being famous anymore. It’s like y’all made it scary,” he joked. He compared the pressure of fame to “storming the beaches of Normandy,” where even amid danger, he has to maintain a smile. “The bullets are whizzing by, and stuff is exploding; I’m just like [happy],” he said, before switching to a more serious note. “Every once in a while, something terrible happens and I’ll be like, ‘Oh, Puffy got hit.’ And Puffy’s like, ‘Oh, keep going playboy. I kicked the bitch in the face and forgot about it.’”
The mention of “Puffy” was a nod to Diddy, whose legal issues have recently made headlines. In September 2024, Diddy was indicted by a grand jury on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution. The indictment, spanning 14 pages, also referenced Diddy’s infamous “Freak-Offs,” private parties where he allegedly abused, threatened, and coerced women for decades. Diddy, 55, has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.
Chappelle continued, saying that Diddy “is in an enormous amount of trouble” and that the case against him was unlike anything he had seen before. “They got this guy in a Rico [case] by himself,” Chappelle remarked. He then humorously addressed his own role in the scandal, sharing a conversation he had with friends. “My friends ask me, ‘Dave, did you know anything about those freak-off parties?’ I’d be like, ‘Nah, man. I don’t know anything about the freak-off.’”
Chappelle went on to joke about how, despite knowing people who had attended these parties, he was never invited. “I thought about it for a minute and I said, ‘Oh, my God, I’m ugly.’ Boy, that’s a tough way to find that out,” he quipped. “Can you imagine if you were me reading a newspaper and found out everyone in Hollywood had an orgy behind your back?”
Despite the humor, Chappelle expressed relief that he was not involved in the scandal. “I’m glad they didn’t call me, though, because the stories coming out about it are crazy,” he said. “Clearly, I have snitch energy.”
Diddy is currently in custody at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, awaiting trial later this year. Despite multiple attempts to secure bail, a judge has denied him release on four separate occasions.
In response to the charges, Diddy’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, issued a statement expressing disappointment over the case. “We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs,” Agnifilo said. He praised Diddy as a “music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist,” insisting that while Diddy is imperfect, he is not a criminal.
Agnifilo also emphasized that Diddy has been fully cooperative with the investigation, adding that he voluntarily relocated to New York in anticipation of the charges. “Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts,” the statement concluded. “These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”
