Timothée Chalamet, 'SNL' criticized for Hamas joke amid war: 'Tone-deaf' and 'vile'
Timothée Chalamet made a splash on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in his second time as host.
The actor, 27, played up his musical background during the opening monologue to promote his upcoming movies now that the SAG-AFTRA strike has ended.
"It’s my second time hosting 'Saturday Night Live,' but in many ways it feels like my first time. Because the last time was during COVID, and that was just weird. I was wearing a mask all week ? I don’t think Lorne Michaels knew who I was; he kept calling me 'Winona,' " Chalamet joked at the start of his monologue. "But I do feel lucky to be hosting after the SAG strike ended."
Things took a musical turn when Chalamet broke into song to bring attention to his projects.
"My new film 'Wonka' is out in theaters December 15. Fandango.com, keyword 'Damn, Hugh Grant got that Oompa Loompa dump truck,' " the Oscar-nominated star crooned. "If you want to view a three-and-a-half hour movie, go see 'Flowers of the Killer Moon.' Or just wait for Part 2 of 'Dune,' just make sure before to use the bathroom."
Timothée Chalamet raps about his 'baby face' in 'SNL' monologue
Chalamet, at the advice of "SNL" cast member Marcello Hernández, switched gears and channeled his high school alter ego Timmy Tim for a rap dedicated to fellow "baby faces."
“I’ve got the face of a young 'un but the body of a dude. So hide your wife, hide your grandma, too," the actor rapped.
The lyrics got increasingly explicit as the duo remarked on being baby-faced and also a "bad guy."
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Kenan Thompson interrupted to give his take on also having a youthful look since his sketch comedy days on Nickelodeon.
"I’ve had this face since ‘Kenan & Kel,’ I age like a vampire, I age like Pharrell," Thompson rapped. "All my life, I’ve been a cutie on TV, they think I’m 19, but I’m really 63!"
Timothée Chalamet, 'SNL' criticized for Hamas joke amid war with Israel
On Sunday, however, people on social media reacted to a "SNL" joke that referenced the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
"SNL and Timothée Chalamet dropping Hamas jokes amidst a war that has so far claimed the lives of more than 4,000 children is vile," one X user tweeted.
During Chalamet's skit with Please Don't Destroy, the character plays an aspiring musician who wants to end his life. "There must be someone or something you care about," John Higgins, a member of the comedy group, says to Chalamet's character. "I guess. It's my music," Chalamet responds.
After Chalamet's character plays a song for the group, they're not quite impressed. But still, he asks, "Will you share it on Instagram?"
The group agrees and asks Chalamet for his Instagram username. "It's Hamas, H-a-m-a-s," he responds.
"Yeah, dude, I'm not sharing a song by Hamas on Instagram," Martin Herlihy of Please Don't Destroy says.
SNL and Timothée Chalamet dropping Hamas jokes amidst a war that has so far claimed the lives of more than 4,000 children is vile. Whole families are being wiped out and 242 people are still being held hostage by Hamas. https://t.co/o11IPYYxvF
— David Challen (@David_Challen) November 12, 2023
Another X user wrote: "the snl writers are partially to blame for the hamas joke, yes, but also snl writers present their ideas to the hosts + hosts have the ability to say no to sketches they dislike … so idiotic to sit here and pretend timothee chalamet of all people was helpless during shooting (the skit)."
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"That Timothee chalamet snl skit about Hamas is actually one of the worst, tone-deaf and digusting things I've ever seen," wrote another X user.
Another person on social media added, "snl two weeks ago prided themself on an open monologue about their hearts going out to those (affected) by the israel palestine conflict just for them to use hamas as a punchline and refuse to acknowledge it as genocide."
Chalamet previously hosted "SNL" in December 2020.
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Contributing: Pamela Avila, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Timothée Chalamet, 'SNL' criticized for Israel-Hamas war joke