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Arts & EntertainmentSaturday Night Live

Aziz Ansari Takes on President Trump, Racism, and Islamophobia in SNL Monologue

By
Mahita Gajanan
Mahita Gajanan
and
TIME
TIME
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By
Mahita Gajanan
Mahita Gajanan
and
TIME
TIME
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January 22, 2017, 10:57 AM ET
US-DC-SMITHSONIAN-AWARDS
Actor Aziz Ansari arrives on the red carpet for the Smithsonian Magazine's 2016 American Ingenuity Awards, honoring groundbreaking individuals in several categories, at the National Portrait Gallery on December 8, 2016 in Washington, DC. Actor Aziz Ansari received the award for Performing Arts for his innovative show Master of None. / AFP / MOLLY RILEY (Photo credit should read MOLLY RILEY/AFP/Getty Images)MOLLY RILEY AFP/Getty Images

Saturday Night Live host Aziz Ansari urged President Donald Trump, whom he dubbed “the Chris Brown of politics,” to take on the “lower-case K.K.K. movement” that has spread in America during his monologue.

Citing the rise of hate crimes in the U.S. since Trump was elected president, Ansari pointed out that casual racism has become normal in the country, and called for Trump to condemn it.

[hulu id=opqg_qupwf2cbbv81en7nw width=512 height=288]

“I think Trump should make a speech. A real speech denouncing the lower-case K.K.K. Don’t tweet about me being lame or the show,” he said. “Write a speech. A real speech. Because these people are out there, and it’s pissing a lot of people off.”

Despite the “casual white supremacy” on display, minorities aren’t going anywhere, Ansari said.

“My parents moved from India to South Carolina in the early ’80s,” he said. “They didn’t move until nine years ago. You know where they moved? North Carolina. They love it here. They’re not leaving.”

Watch Saturday Night Live’s Shirtless Vladimir Putin Assure America About President Trump

Ansari ended his joke-packed monologue on a serious note, saying those who are worried about Trump and his administration will be fine, especially in light of the protests during the inauguration and the Women’s March on Saturday.

“If you look at our country’s history, change doesn’t come from presidents,” he 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.”

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