For his third time hosting Saturday Night Live, Louis C.K. came to the season finale fearless. Jokes on being "mildly racist," the conflict in Israel and Palestine, as well as child molesters were what built his almost nine-minute set during Saturday's opening monologue. Reactions based on the edgy material were very outspoken during, and after the show.
Twitter users came online to talk rapidly about this, and their responses ranged from calling C.K.'s comedy, "the unfunniest, most offensive #SNL monologue I've ever seen" to the "Best #SNL monologue I've ever seen." The host also earned heated remarks during his second time hosting the variety show, when jokes about God as a single dad and first world vs. third world hunger were made. Towards the end of the set, C.K. threw up his shoulders and asked, "How do you think I feel? This is probably my last show," and it'll be interesting to see how he raises the bar again if he gets invited back for a fourth time in the near future.
The topic people seem to take most offense to are his jokes about child molesters, and how he grew up with one named John Baptiste in his neighborhood during the '70s. It started by him talking about how "it wasn't a big deal," and that, "it wasn't like 'We caught a child molester!' It was like, 'Yeah, that's the house where the child molester lives. He live right there. Kids, don't be stupid or you'll get molested. Just stay away from the child molester house. I know because he did something to me when I was your age, so stay away from the child molester house.'"
From there, he talked about how Baptiste would take local boys to get "MacDonald's" and then he joked on how "child molesters are tenacious people." "They love molesting childs," he said. "It's so crazy when you consider the risk in being a child molester — speaking not even of the damage you are doing, but the risk. There is no worse life available to a human than being a caught child molester. And yet they still do it! From which, you can only really surmise, that it must be really good." After the audience made an audible gasp, C.K. noted, "From there point of view! Not ours! But from their point-of-view, it must be amazing for them to risk so much!"
He then talked about how much he loves Mound Bars, and how he can't do more than two things at the same time when he eats one because he loves them so much and they're his favorite thing. But he knows "there's a limit." Returning to the topic, he said, "They are delicious, and yet if someone were to come up to me and say, 'If you eat another Mounds Bar, you'll go to jail and everyone will hate you,' I would stop eating them because they do taste delicious, but they don't taste as good as a young boy does — and shouldn't — to a child molester. Not to me! Not to us, because we're all awesome."
The clip, which is found on Hulu, also had the comedian talk about his "mild racism" as a child from growing up in the'70s and talking about how the Middle East has not changed and how their fights are "boring" now. This lead to comparisons between what's happening in Israel and Palestine to his two daughters, where they each served as a metaphor for Israel and Palestine and C.K. represented America.
Watch the always ballsy comedian do his latest set below, and check out my review of the latest episode of Louie here.
Here are a handful of tweets from viewers:
Being too touchy and sensitive about what constitutes funny can actually perpetuate that which offends you in the first place. #louisck
— Sean Ono Lennon (@seanonolennon) May 17, 2015
I grew up on SNL. Huge Louis C.K. fan. I know they both push the line. I get that. But that opening monologue...
— Bun B (@BunBTrillOG) May 17, 2015
Louis ck...that monolgue for #SNL40Finale ..great but also cringing the whole time...
— SammiT (@samtesta1) May 17, 2015
Image courtesy of Kristin Callahan/ACE/INFphoto.com
That was the unfunniest, most offensive #SNL monologue I've ever seen. Racism and child molestation? Really, Louis. #SNL40Finale
— John DeMayo (@JohnnyDeMayo) May 17, 2015
Louis CK went racism, Palestine-Israel, child molesting on network TV. That's putting your tongue on the third rail. And took giant balls.
— Dan Le Batard Show (@LeBatardShow) May 17, 2015
If you think #LouisCK went too far on #SNL last night - humanity does not need you. At all. Go away. Forever. He's f'kn hilarious.
— ζionist Ƀankster (@argylegray) May 17, 2015
Worst #SNL opening sketch ever? Most pointless & unfunny monologue about racism & molestation ever? Switching to an #amyschumer rerun.
— Ken Rudin (@kenrudin) May 17, 2015
Best #SNL monologue I've ever seen. He is the best at making reality hilarious. The absolute best. Love my #LouisCK
— what's up, boners? (@OliveStuff) May 17, 2015
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