Chris Rock hosted Saturday Night Live for the fourth time with a brutal attack on Bill Clinton while also criticizing liberals worried about Trump’s coming presidency.
In what was one of the funniest opening monologues in recent memory, Rock put comedy over politics as he took swipes at both sides of the political spectrum.
“There’s a lot going on in the news, my God, it’s so crazy out there,” Rock said as he began his seven-minute opening act.
Rock said it had been a “bad year for my people, blacks,” referring to Kamala Harris’ loss in the November election.
But when he switched sides, Rock took a few swipes at newly elected President Donald Trump.
“Trump had a good year, man,” Rock said. Trump survived an assassination attempt. Won the presidency again by winning the popular vote. Was just named Time’s Man of the Year. You know? It could happen to a nicer man,” he joked.
Rock noted that he was far from shocked that Trump won, despite all his controversies.
‘Many people are afraid. Like, “Oh, my God, he’s going to be so unworthy.” When I say a lot of people, I’m talking about the nine New Yorkers who didn’t vote for him, okay?,” Rock said, mocking liberals.
Chris Rock hosted Saturday Night Live for the fourth time with a brutal attack on Bill Clinton, while also criticizing liberals concerned about Trump’s coming presidency
Rock’s jab at Clinton seemed intended to reference the former president’s reputation for scandals, namely the Monica Lewinsky affair. Clinton and Lewinsky are pictured in 1995
He then quickly suggested that Trump was far from the only bad actor to occupy the White House in American history.
“Come on, man, this isn’t the most dignified job in the world. There have been presidents who came to the inauguration with pregnant slaves, okay? And I’m just talking about Bill Clinton,” Rock said in one of his most memorable zingers.
Rock’s joke suggested that both Clinton and Trump are part of a broader tradition of presidents who behave in ways that endanger the dignity of the office.
‘Guy. It’s the United States,” Rock joked. “I mean, you know what country we live in. You know the history of this country. Do you know how many rapists are in my wallet right now? A cup of coffee costs seven rapists in America,” Rock said with a hoarse laugh. “Trump is going to reduce it to three.”
Rock’s jab at Clinton seemed intended to reference the former president’s reputation for scandal, namely the Monica Lewinsky affair.
But his joke also played on the historical reality of American presidents throughout history who engaged in morally questionable behavior, such as Thomas Jefferson who fathered children with an enslaved woman, Sally Hemings, before cleverly switching to Clinton, which implied his own ‘scandalous’ reputation.
As for Trump, Rock joked how the newly elected president would start deporting illegal immigrants while working with the “number one African American in the world, the richest African American in the world, Elon Musk.”
“That’s right, he’s African American,” Rock continued, noting that Musk is from South Africa.
Rock noted that he was far from shocked that Trump won the election despite all his scandals
Rock placed comedy over politics as he took swipes at both sides of the political spectrum
Rock ended his searing set by mentioning how President Joe Biden recently pardoned his son Hunter
“Elon has more kids than the Cleveland Browns. No one knows how to get rid of people like a South African,” Rock told the crowd.
‘Oh, he means it. Trump isn’t playing. He has Elon. They’re going to put them in a rocket — call it ‘SpaceMex,'” Rock joked with a pun that referenced Musk’s company SpaceX and the Mexican border through which most immigrants pass to reach the US.
Rock ended his searing set by mentioning how President Joe Biden recently pardoned his son Hunter.
“I have to give it to Joe, he doesn’t move as fast as he used to, he doesn’t talk as fast as he used to,” Rock said, “but that middle finger still works,” he laughed, referring to the shocking pardon.
“An animal alone wouldn’t pardon your son. “Every parent in the world would pardon their son, except the Menendez brothers’ parents,” he joked.
It was familiar territory for Rock, who was previously a cast member of SNL between 1990 and 1993, while also hosting the show in 1996, 2014 and 2020.