'SNL' And Timothée Chalamet's 'Tasteless' Hamas Joke Sparks Outrage

Kelby Vera
Updated ·5-min read

“Saturday Night Live” is being criticized for making a Hamas joke during this weekend’s episode.

People called the show “insensitive,” “tasteless” and “not funny” for referencing the Palestinian militant group in a sketch starring host Timothée Chalamet and comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy.

In the pre-taped bit, three passersby try to convince Chalamet, an aspiring musician, not to jump off a building to his death.

Though the man’s music was truly atrocious, they promise to support him on social media ― until learning his band is called “Hamas,” pronounced “Hay-mus.”

“Dude, I’m not sharing a song by Hamas on Instagram!” one of them shouts at Chalamet.

After the sketch aired, people wondered why “SNL” would make Hamas the punchline following the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel which killed a reported 1,200 people.

Over 10,000 people have reportedly died since Israel began bombing Northern Gaza in retaliation. As blockades leave Gaza with dangerously low levels of power, food, fuel and water, human right groups have declared a humanitarian crisis in the region.

“Most celebrities aren’t even bothered to say a single thing about the current situation but then they go on and make extremely tasteless jokes about people getting murdered,” one person tweeted. “America at its best as usual. while you sit in your mansions and make jokes, children are getting bombed.”

“Making jokes about an ongoing genocide?” another posted to X, formerly Twitter. “When people are actually dying every single second of the day? so fucking disgusting these people are sick fuck timothée chalamet fuck snl.”

Others wondered why this conflict was the butt of the joke after “SNL” showed such reverence for Ukrainians after the nation came under attack by Russia.

“The difference for Ukraine… unbelievable,” someone wrote with a video of the candlelight vigil “SNL” held during a February 2022 episode.

More asked if the show was even capable of being funny anymore.

“I feel like if you want to make a suicide bit AND a Hamas bit in one it needs to be so much funnier than SNL is capable of being or it can’t be justified,” one person tweeted.

“Oh between the Hamas jokes and mocking Britney’s memoir, SNL clearly does not understand that Gen Z does not give a fuck about SNL,” someone else posted. “Not funny or good.”

Many more had more blunt reactions. As one person posted, “timothée chalamet can go to hell bc wtf.”

See more reactions on X below:

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