Jerrod Carmichael really didn’t want to talk about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during his “Saturday Night Live” monologue this week. So, he used the time to ask someone for help: Barack Obama.
When Carmichael took the stage on Saturday night, the first thing he said was “I’m not gonna talk about it.” Obviously, everyone knew what he was referring to, so he didn’t name drop Smith or Rock at any point. Instead, the comedian poked fun at how the incident occurred just six days ago, yet seems like it was even longer.
“Doesn’t it feel like it happened years ago? Like, doesn’t feel like it happened when we were all in high school? Like it feels like it happened somewhere between Jamiroquai and 9/11. Like somewhere a long, long time ago. It feels like we’ve been living in the wake of it our entire lives.”
You can watch Carmichael’s monologue in the video above.
But, according to Carmichael, “SNL” boss Lorne Michaels specifically asked him to talk about it, joking that Michaels said “the nation needs to heal.” But that’s a tall order, and a lot of pressure.
“The nation don’t even know me,” Carmichael joked. “The nation has no clue who I am. I have to be the least famous host in SNL [history]. Like, the least.”
So, in the final moments of his monologue, he turned to the camera and asked for help — from former president Barack Obama.
“You got us all hopped up on hope and change,” he said. “And unfortunately I have some news for you Barack. You’re not gonna like this. We need you back because I think you’re gonna have to talk about it. The nation needs to heal.”