If you want high ratings, have a Black comedian host your television show! After comedian Dave Chappelle, hosted the post-election edition of Saturday Night Live this past weekend, the show achieved a ratings high. According to Deadline, the Chappelle-hosted episode, which was seen hours after Former Vice President Joe Biden was declared the winner of this year’s presidential election had a viewership of 9.1 million people and averaged a 2.6 million viewership rating in the coveted 18-49 category.
NBC’s Saturday Night Live was the #1 highest-rated entertainment telecast in the 18-49 viewership category since ABC’s Academy Awards show that aired on Feb. 9 (5.33 in 18-49). The live show was television’s #1 most-watched entertainment program since the season premiere of NBC’s America’s Got Talent on May 26 (9.877 million). This showing was also television’s #1 highest-rated comedy telecast in the 18-49 category since
CBS’ Big Bang Theory series finale on May 16, 2019 (3.23).The Wrap has reported that in terms of audience size, this show, which featured the Foo Fighters as musical guest, drew 9.064 million total viewers. That makes this viewing the second-most-watched “Saturday Night Live” since the 2017 episode that comedian Melissa McCarthy hosted that drew 10.382 million viewers, with the legendary Eddie Murphy-hosted show last year on Dec. 21, 2019, drawing 9.981 million overall viewers.
Chappelle, coincidentally hosted the post-election Saturday Night Live in 2016 right after Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was defeated by the current president, Donald Trump. This year’s post-election episode is up 4% in total viewers (9.064 million vs. 8.691 million), but down 17% in key demo ratings (2.62 vs. 3.15).
In its ratings dominance over the weekend, among all programs on YouTube, Saturday Night Live had generated the #1, #2 and #3 most-viewed videos, with Biden’s Victory Cold Open (10.0 million views), Chappelle’s Stand-Up Monologue (7.4 million) and Weekend Update: Rudy Giuliani on Trump’s Election Lawsuits (4.2 million).
Here is the full monologue by Chappelle: