In true Dave Chappelle fashion, the comedian smoked his way through his Saturday Night Live monologue – and tossed the lit butt right off the stage.

The host, who has emceed the show four times, made his return to Rockefeller Plaza in New York City this past weekend to kick off the first episode of 2025, despite facing criticism for his remarks following Trump’s victory in 2016.

During his latest appearance, he covered a wide range of subjects including Donald Trump, the wildfires in Los Angeles, and the conflict between Israel and Palestine, ensuring that controversy would once again be part of the show.

But it wouldn’t be a Chappelle stand-up without a cigarette in hand.

Wearing a navy blue suit, the 51-year-old controversial comic walked out on stage while puffing on a cigarette to begin his 17-minute monologue.

Seated on a stool and smoking a cigarette, the comedian humorously mentioned that the main reason he agreed to host the late-night sketch comedy show was to get rid of all his old Trump-related jokes.

One of those jokes were in reference to Springfield, where the former president claimed that Haitian immigrants were eating residents’ pets during the presidential debate in September.

Chappelle, who lives just one town over in Ohio, spoke of the unfounded controversy – noting how Trump’s speculation made him ‘crazy’.

In true Dave Chappelle fashion, the comedian smoked his way through his Saturday Night Live monologue this past weekend 

During the 17-minute opening, Chappelle tossed his lit cigarette off the stage while discussing Trump’s controversial claim regarding Haitian immigrants eating residents’ pets in Springfield, Ohio

The four-time host returned to Rockefeller Plaza in New York City this weekend to open up the first show of 2025, despite his appearances having drawn controversy since his monologue after Trump won in 2016

He claimed that they had come legally and ‘did the jobs the whites weren’t doing’. 

In hopes he could be supportive, Chappelle spent 10 days eating his lunch at a Haitian restaurant in Springfield ‘to let them know if I’m safe here, you guys are definitely safe here.’ 

But while joking about the possibility of leaving the state along with the Haitians,  claiming that ‘it’s just no fun being famous anymore’, he glared at the lit cigarette between his fingers, took one last drag and tossed it off the stage.

With nothing in his hands besides the microphone, Chappelle immediately continued to speak about how being famous has turned scary – comparing the feeling to ‘storming the beach of Normandy in World War II’.

Chappelle – at one point joking that he was ‘tired of being controversial’ and hoping to ‘turn over a new leaf’ – ended his set on the NBC show discussing Trump, saying: ‘He’ll be the 47th president, he’s done it again.’  

The internet wasted no time in taking to social media to discuss the comedian’s stand-up – and to point out his very common smoke habit.

‘I love how Dave Chappelle is gonna smoke a cigarette in every sketch,’ one comment on X read.

‘For what it’s worth, it’s 100 percent illegal for Dave Chappelle to be smoking inside Studio 8H. And dropping a lit cigarette on stage? Woof,’ another one said.

Another read: ‘I hope that Dave Chappelle doing his SNL monologue casually smoking a cig will be a turning point to America finally admitting that smoking is and always was cool.’

‘Chappelle’s cig smoking routine is so f***ing tired. Also it’s illegal and disrespectful as f***. I don’t know why they let him do it,’ another added.   

‘This cigarette has got to be in Chappelle’s contract LOL,’ one comment on X read. ‘It don’t matter where he is, Dave is lighting up!’

But this weekend’s show wasn’t the first time Chappelle has been seen accompanied by a cigarette.

Whether it’s hosting Saturday Night Live, recording his Netflix special or graciously accepting an award, Chappelle always seems to be partaking in a personal smoke-sesh.

Back in 2019, the comic fearlessly smoked while accepting the Mark Twain Prize at the Kennedy Center.

‘I want everyone in America right now to look at me. Look at me smoking indoors,’ Chappelle said during the ceremony.

‘I didn’t ask anybody. What are they gonna do? Kick me out before I get the prize?’ he added. ‘It’s called leverage.’

Whether it’s hosting Saturday Night Live, recording his Netflix special or graciously accepting an award, Chappelle always seems to be partaking in a personal smoke-sesh

The United States allows performers to smoke on stage if the ‘person who is smoking does so while performing on stage as part of a theatrical production’

Back in 2019, the comic fearlessly smoked while accepting the Mark Twain Prize at the Kennedy Center

In 2012, the Winter Garden – a theater in Toronto, Canada – got a call from the public health department after Chappelle chain-smoked cigarettes throughout the 75-minute set of his three-show pop-up gig.

Kris Scheuer, a spokeswoman for the department, said the call was to remind the theater of the provincial Smoke-Free Ontario Act, which states that ‘all performers must be in compliance with the no tobacco use legislation. There are no exemptions,’ The Hollywood Reporter reported.

Luckily for Chappelle, the United States is more free-wheeling – allowing performers to smoke on stage if the ‘person who is smoking does so while performing on stage as part of a theatrical production’.

But why is Chappelle always smoking?

In simple words – he likes to. It relaxes him, according to Cracked. 

Mark Gagnon, the host of the comedy podcast Camp Gagnon, discussed Chappelle speaking to Neil Brennan back in his early 20s about the art of smoking in a 2023 episode. 

More notably, he discussed how the comedian smokes as a way to break the tension he creates with the audience during his sets.

During a stand-up comedy performance over a decade ago, Chappelle spoke about the only club he ever got kicked out of for smoking – the strip club. 

So it’s fair to say this isn’t the last we’ll see of Chappelle puffing on a cigarette – except, of course, if it’s at a strip club.