After spending 12 days of his new Netflix special telling jokes about transgender people once again, Dave Chappelle incited outrage.
The comedian described his second performance in the same theater where the special was recorded as “The Dreamer,” which debuted on Netflix on December 31. The majority of the content was about his initial goals and how he learned how to succeed.
However, in response to persistent criticism for earlier jokes he made about trans people in his other Netflix specials, the comedian dedicated the first segment of the special to them.
He declared, “I love punching down,” and informed the audience that he no longer wanted to make jokes about transgender people because the previous drama they had to deal with wasn’t “worth the trouble.”
“If you thought I’d make fun of those people again when you came to this show tonight, you’ve come to the wrong show. I’m not f****** with those people anymore. The trouble wasn’t worth it,” Chappelle said. “I ain’t saying s*** about them. Maybe three or four times now, but that’s all. I’m sick of bringing them up. And you’re curious as to why I’m sick of bringing them up? Because they acted as though I needed them to be funny. Well, that is ridiculous. You are not necessary to me. I’m about to get a completely new perspective. You guys won’t ever expect this s***. I won’t be making trans jokes anymore.”
Chappelle said that because “disabled” people “are not as organized as the gays,” he would focus on them in their place. “I also enjoy punching up.”
“To be completely honest, I’ve been working to mend my relationship with the transgender community because I don’t want them to think I dislike them. Do you know how I’ve been fixing it, right? I wrote a play. I did. Because I am aware that gay people love plays.”
“Although the play is really sad, it is moving. It’s about a trans Black woman with the unfortunate noun ‘n*****.’ It’s a tear-jerker, really. She dies of loneliness at the end of the play because white liberals don’t know how to approach her. It’s unfortunate,” he joked.
Chappelle joked later in the special that if he were ever sent to prison, it would be in California, and he would tell the judge, “Before you sentence me, I want the court to know I identify as a woman.” “Take me to a women’s prison,” he said, physically intimidating female prisoners with his size.
Additionally, he made light of a 2022 incident at the Hollywood Bowl when someone rushed the stage and attempted to attack him.
“Because I had done LGBTQ jokes and it turns out this fella was a ‘B,'” Chappelle said, “and because the attacker was bisexual, he could have been upset.” He also claimed that the assailant had “a knife that identified as a gun” and “I triggered them [the attacker].”
Social media users responded to the Netflix special in a variety of ways.
“The fact that Dave Chappelle, one of the greatest comedians to ever stand on a stage, is still out here offending trans people strikes me as being extremely strange and probably telling (in an unpacking way),” wrote one man on X, previously Twitter. “Making it hard to imagine what a disappointment he has turned out to be.”
“Dave Chappelle was once the greatest comedian of a generation, but ever since he began slanting his boomer-ass anti-trans material into his acts, it’s depressing, tbh,” the author added.
A second person wrote, “Dave Chappelle has a new special where he attacks both transgender and disabled people.” “I truly despise this guy.”
But, Chappelle was defended by some.
“Dave Chappelle has been the funniest person on earth for more than 20 years. His most recent special was just as outstanding as the others. Too big to cancel #TheDreamer,” posted one person.
“Watched Dave Chappelle’s new stand-up special, The Dreamer, on Netflix,” a second person remarked. “He crosses all boundaries, offends a completely different audience, and tells heartfelt life stories. Viewers should exercise caution! 10 out of 10.”
“The Dave Chappelle special has already been released,” another person added. “Without a doubt, I watched it immediately. And I can see that a particular group of people—those who obviously don’t watch him—are already angry. So I know it’s fine.”
Staff protests against the streaming giant The Closer in 2021 were sparked by the show’s alleged use of material that was widely criticized as “transphobic.”
Chappelle responded to those remarks in another Netflix special, referring to the critics who had criticized him as “instruments of oppression.”
Chappelle and Netflix have been contacted by Newsweek via email for comment.
“We have a strong belief that content on screen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm,” Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said in his initial defense of Chappelle.
He did, however, later admit to The Hollywood Reporter that he “screwed up” in terms of internal business communications regarding the special.
In October 2021, an estimated 100 Netflix employees organized a walkout, and the streaming service’s handling of the situation ultimately resulted in Terra Field, the senior engineer for the company and founder of its transgender employee resource group, resigning.
Netflix stated in a media release prior to the strike, “We value our transgender colleagues and allies, and we understand the deep hurt that has been caused. We acknowledge that there is much more work to be done both within Netflix and in our content and respect the decision of any individual who chooses to leave.”
