In his first-ever appearance on SNL, comedian, actor, and writer Aziz Ansari had a momentous task — to have his finger on the pulse of a divided nation, to address a president who was no doubt scrutinizing his every word, and to make his audience laugh, all at once.
In an eight-minute speech, Ansari did all of these things, and more.
His opening monologue was important as much for what it didn’t do as for what it did. Rather than simply mocking President Trump (though he did that, too), Ansari spoke to him directly — challenging the president to confront those who have acted out of hatred in the wake of his election.
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Though at first Ansari struck a conciliatory and unifying tone, he was unafraid to call out what he identifies as a new group of people that saw Trump’s campaign as a validation of overt racism — one he termed the “lower-case K.K.K.”
“As long as we treat each other with respect and remember that ultimately we’re all Americans, we’ll be fine,” Ansari said, adding,. “The problem is, there’s a new group. I’m talking about this tiny slice of people that have gotten way too fired up about the Trump thing for the wrong reasons. I’m talking about these people that, as soon as Trump won, they’re like, “We don’t have to pretend like we’re not racist anymore!”
“If you’re one of these people,” Ansari said. “Please go back to pretending.”
He called on Trump to address the increase in hate crimes that has been reported after his election, rather than to attack celebrities and actors who criticize him.
“I think Trump should make a speech. A real speech denouncing the lower-case K.K.K,” Ansari said to the crowd, before pivoting to a direct appeal to the president. “Don’t tweet about me being lame or the show. Write a speech. A real speech.”
Ansari went on to reference a speech given by President George W. Bush after 9/11 that, he said, did a great deal of work toward healing a divided and fearful nation.
“Sixteen years ago, I was certain this dude was a dildo,” Ansari said of Bush. “Now, I’m sitting there like, ‘He guided us with his eloquence!’”
Ansari ended his monologue not with a jab at Trump, but with a nod to the Women’s March on Washington that attracted an estimated half a million people and sparked sister protests across the country and around the world.
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To these protesters, he brought a message of hope.
“Change doesn’t come from presidents,” Ansari said. “Change comes from large groups of angry people.”
“And if Day 1 is any indication, you are part of the largest group of angry people I have ever seen.”