Chance the Rapper hosted Saturday Night Live last night, where he did a very funny Halloween sketch. More noteworthy, though, was his evident support for the ongoing Chicago teachers strike—he showed up onstage in a Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) sweatshirt and gave a shout out to the strike in his monologue.
“To the teachers in Chicago, I know you guys are on strike right now. I fully support you,” he said, adding, “I just wish that when I was in school, my teachers had gone on strike.”
He also reminded the crowd that the last time he hosted SNL, he donated $1 million to the Chicago public school system. “And I’m happy to say, it completely fixed everything,” he joked. It’s funny, but also a good reminder that one-time donations can’t possibly override longtime systematic failure. Just a message for the billionaires!
Here’s the whole monologue, which includes a rap about Chicago and Pepsi:
The Chicago strike has been in effect since October 17. Teachers are demanding smaller class sizes and more support staff, like librarians, nurses, and social workers. [YouTube]Elton John canceled a concert in Indianapolis over the weekend following the death of his mother-in-law, Gladys Furnish. John wrote in a Facebook post that he was “extremely unwell,” and needed to take the night off.
Per Facebook:
To my dear fans in Indianapolis: It is with the heaviest heart that I’m forced to deliver the news that I am extremely unwell and therefore unable to perform at Bankers Life Fieldhouse tonight. I absolutely hate to let my fans down, but I owe it to you to put on the best show possible and unfortunately that’s simply not possible. The date will be rearranged for March 2020, and I promise I will deliver the show you deserve. Thank you so much for your support and understanding… Elton x
Variety reports that Furnish, mother of David Furnish, died on Thursday. Furnish wrote in an Instagram post that his mother “passed away peacefully in the middle of the night, with me and my brothers by her side.” [Variety]
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