David Spade Caught Flack For Not Stopping Chris Farley's Classic Chippendales Sketch On SNL
If I had to choose my personal Mount Rushmore of Chris Farley appearances on "Saturday Night Live," I'd include Matt Foley: Motivational Speaker, "Lunch Lady Land" with Adam Sandler, The Chris Farley Show with Paul McCartney, and the infamous Chippendale's audition with Patrick Swayze. Farley was an incomparable, once-in-a-lifetime comedian, and his untimely passing left a void in the landscape of physical comedy that has yet to be filled. His success on "SNL" offered him the opportunity to become one of the great comedic actors, and although we have been without him for over a quarter of a century, his legacy lives on with the laughter he continues to inspire after all this time.
Part of Farley's appeal was his no holds barred commitment to the bit, whether it meant physically throwing himself through a table, Hulking out of a jacket, or randomly screaming at the top of his lungs. Hell, I still quote Farley in "Billy Madison" as the bus driver by yelling "good, great, grand, wonderful ... NO YELLING ON THE BUS!" any chance I get, and I've absolutely lost count of how many times I've done my best "Tommy Boy" impression while trying on clothing at the thrift store and singing "fat [girl] in a little coat."
I've always been fatter than most of the people in my life, and I've written before about why seeing Aidy Bryant on "Saturday Night Live" was so important to me. But if I'm honest with myself, Chris Farley was the first celebrity I ever saw that made me realize it was possible to be fat and the life of the party. The Chippendale's routine solidified it for me, which is why it's fascinating to learn that Farley's frequent comedy partner, David Spade, was given gruff for not stepping in and "stopping" Farley from following through with the sketch.
'He was so comfortable'
On an episode of Dana Carvey and David Spade's podcast, "Fly on the Wall," the former "SNL" castmates plus special guest Adam Sandler joined together to honor the memory of their friend when the topic of the Chippendale's sketch came up. It isn't the first time an "SNL" alum has spoken about disliking the sketch, as Chris Rock has also been vocal about finding the bit "f***ing mean."
Spade mentioned on the podcast that people often ask him why he "allowed" Farley to perform a sketch that required him to take his shirt off, believing it to be a joke that only works due to body shaming. Spade wasn't having it. "First of all," he said, "you think I'm gonna stop a guy from doing a sketch that's gonna blow through the roof?" Not to mention, Spade was a featured player at the time compared to Farley's cast member status, meaning, he didn't have the hierarchical power to make that call even if he wanted to.
"He was so comfortable with taking the shirt off," said Sandler, echoed by Carvey who quipped, "and everything else off." If anyone would know this to be true, it's Sandler, who had Farley strip during "Billy Madison" during the memorable "That is correct" studying scene.
Carvey acknowledged that Farley wasn't even that much bigger than many of the people who sat in the audience at "SNL," but also pointed out that Farley was big, but it never held him back. "I mean he was heavy but he was so f***ing athletic in that sketch," he said. "He was just moving and he was just an athlete." It's hard not to notice the parallels to those who now criticize Lizzo when she performs live concerts, despite the fact she's dancing, singing, and playing flute for hours at a time. Remember friends, size ≠ health.
Concern shaming is still shaming
At the same time, comedian Tom Arnold stated in the documentary "I Am Chris Farley" that he received a call from Farley worried that the sketch would be embarrassing. I obviously can't speak for Farley, but as a fat person, the only beef I have with the Chippendale's sketch is that Farley's character isn't the one chosen for the job. The funnier, more subversive angle would have been if the energetic fat guy got the role over the hunk who looks like he was chiseled out of marble, but then again, I'm not a professional comedy writer so this is just like, my opinion, man.
But it is interesting to see how so many comedians and fans debate the ethics or responsibility of the sketch and whether or not it was humiliating or a bad thing for Farley to dance topless ... are not fat people. The comments Chris Rock made about the sketch being "f***ing mean" falls under the umbrella of what we call "concern shaming," because why is this guy, who admittedly jokes about how scrawny he is all the time, getting to dictate whether or not a fat person dancing is "mean?" The folks who dislike this sketch or who reprimand David Spade for not putting a stop to it are, in my opinion, projecting their own discomfort with fat bodies existing rather than interrogating why they're so uncomfortable.
Chris Farley was many things; funny, kind-hearted, dedicated, and even camera-shy, and he happened to exist in a fat body. As far as I'm concerned, Farley's Chippendale audition routine is a revolutionary act of fat defiance and helped pave the way for so many other folks to do the same. As Jack Black famously said in "School of Rock" about his own body, "I'm sexy and chubby." Would a line like that exist without Farley's killer moves? I doubt it.