Amy Schumer’s subtle “Nazi” dig at Kanye West during her Saturday Night Live monologue has divided opinions online.
Schumer returned to SNL to host for the third time at the weekend, and made a couple of eyebrow-raising jokes, including a reference to the upcoming “midterm abortions.”
A reference to Ye’s recent alleged antisemitic comments got a laugh from the studio audience on Saturday, but others have expressed fury online.
Schumer was talking about Autism Spectrum Disorder, which was previously known as Aspergers. “But then they found out, and this is true that Dr. Asperger had like Nazi ties, Kanye,” Schumer said in a throwaway style, before looking at her mic implying that something was wrong with it. “That’s weird.”
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Schumer was referencing Dr. Hans Asperger, an Austrian physician who was involved with the Nazis throughout his career. A number of research papers were written in the late 2010s that delved deeper into Dr. Asperger’s involvement with the Nazi party, with the likes of academics Edith Sheffer and Herwig Czech concluding that he participated in a “euthanasia program.”
West has been heavily criticized in recent weeks for his comments about Jewish people, which led to him losing business ties with the likes of Adidas and Balenciaga.
“Cancel Amy Schumer,” wrote the Twitter user @thedge7, “how dare you call Kanye West a Nazi. SNL is disgusting!!!!”
@DevH79 called the monologue “ridiculous.” They said, “Kanye is Bipolar. He’s been medically diagnosed as such. Since when is it appropriate to mock someone’s mental health conditions? Kanye needs help… not vitriol and scorn.”
Over on Reddit, Schumer’s “Nazi” joke was shared in a number of forums, becoming a talking point for thousands. “Low hanging fruit all around,” one user wrote, while another replied, “Lol right? So brave.”
There were plenty of people supporting and applauding Schumer’s subtle comment, though some were delivered with a backhanded compliment. “
“I do not like Amy Schumer, but it was a good joke and she delivered it well,” @fantasticangent wrote on Reddit. “Love her, hate her, or otherwise. Amy Schumer is still a much better person than Kanye West,” @MermaidStone added.
Actor Michael Abbot Jr. weighed in on the topic, correcting an assertion that Schumer had called out Ye for antisemitism. “Correction.” He wrote, “Ye called himself out as antisemitic.”
Schumer’s return to SNL proved to be the “hardest week” of her life. After the show finished, she revealed on Instagram how on Thursday her son was rushed to the ER for Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Schumer confirmed that her son is now better and thanked everyone at SNL for helping her get through the week.