Fans Are Still Divided Over Bill Burr's 2020 'SNL' Monologue
Updated Feb. 24 2021, 3:12 p.m. ET
Comedian Bill Burr hosted SNL on Oct. 10, 2020, for the first time ever, and it went exactly as controversially as everyone expected.
In a promo, the comedian stands with Kenan Thompson and says, “Hi, I’m Bill Burr and I’m hosting SNL this week and right now I’m doing the awkward promo. How does it feel, Kenan?” Kenan responds, “Pretty awkward," and the resulting moments were exactly that for many.
The episode was chock-full of Bill's unique brand of commentary on not only the debates but the overall political climate — notably due to the fact that the second presidential debate was officially canceled, due to Trump refusing to do it remotely, just ahead of the show airing.
Nonetheless, its most divisive moment was in Bill's opening monologue, where fans found an issue in the comedian's phrasing of current racism and LGBTQ+ issues.
Bill Burr during the monologue on 'SNL' on October 10, 2020.
In the controversial monologue, Bill referred to the social justice movements surrounding the murder of George Floyd and said that white women "somehow hijacked the woke movement," insinuating that they victimized themselves to be on-trend.
The comedian also said that June's Pride Month is "a little long, don't you think?" His divisive statements landed him in hot water with some fans online, who called him out in a variety of tweets such as this one.
What's Bill Burr's political affiliation?
Bill has historically never leaned right or left, claiming that it didn't matter who won back in 2015 when it was Donald Trump running against Hillary Clinton. And he was not vocal about the 2020 election, either. When asked if he still felt that it didn't matter who was president back in 2018, Bill answered that he still believes it doesn't matter who's the president if you're white.
"You’re going to be fine. And it’s not like Hillary wasn’t a total company man. That last election was 2 a.m. at a bar and you had to go home with somebody," he explained.
In general, Bill Burr seems jaded by politics and doesn't think either Republicans or Democrats are honest.
He tells the Philadelphia Post-Gazette,
"Can I tell you something? I truly believe 100 percent in the whole liberal media now. Watching the way they went after Trump. … Bernie Sanders was the better matchup because the Republicans accidentally offered change, which is what people wanted. And the Democrats, I understand why they went with her, but they ended up reading the tea leaves wrong...I think the last honest president was Jimmy Carter. And look what’s he’s done post-presidency. He’s out there building houses for homeless people, and he’s looked upon as a terrible president and being weak. The Clintons are worth over $100 million. How?! And if you say this, it’s like, 'You’re a Trump supporter' and 'You have your tinfoil hat on' and 'You’re a conspiracy theorist.'"
Bill is... definitely not for everyone. His comedy is known for being crass, and some will argue, tone-deaf.
In his 2019 Netflix special, Paper Tiger, he criticized the #MeToo movement (basically, his stance was that #MeToo was too hell-bent on destroying lives of innocent men and that due-process was being neglected).
He has also made fun of both Michelle Obama and Melania Trump, arguing that "being a First Lady is not a real job." Bill has, unsurprisingly, been criticized for his anti-feminist and offensive portrayals of women in his comedy.
Women aren't the only targets in Bill's comedy — everyone's fair game in his routine. He's joked about Stephen Hawking, male feminists, how cultural appropriation isn't real, and more.
The bottom line? Bill's often-crass brand of comedy and belief system isn't exactly for everyone.