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In his Netflix special, 'Sticks & Stones,' he accuses Michael Jackson's accusers of being liars, while also seemingly putting the blame on fellow comedian Louis C.K.'s accusers.
The controversial comedian also defended DaBaby, who infamously made similarly ignorant and harmful remarks about the LGBTQ+ community, but Chappelle took it one step further. He addressed the LGBTQ+ community "directly," saying he would like to "negotiate the release of DaBaby," and drawing a line between white LGBTQ+ people and Black people who've gotten in trouble with them. "All I ask of your community, with all humility: Will you please stop punching down on my people?" Chappelle said, drawing more criticism from Black queer people. One Twitter user pointed out, "This is ignoring how Hart, DaBaby, and Chappelle himself punched down first, but more pertinent is that again there is that divide. The thought of a gay or trans black person is foreign to him. We don't exist. We are outside of his experience and therefore, a white experience."
Chappelle's notorious Netflix special 'The Closer,' released in 2021, once again sparked backlash from the LGBTQ+ community. Chappelle continued to make "jokes" about transgender people, spewing comments like, "Gender is a fact. Every human being in this room, every human being on earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on earth. That is a fact," which confuses gender with biological sex. He also made jokes about trans women's private parts, calling them the Beyond or Impossible versions, referencing the fake meat companies. Twitter erupted in backlash, calling out Chappelle's obsession with trans bodies and criticizing his humor for being lazy and disingenuous.
Ngesi returned to stand-up in 2017, after a four-year hiatus. He performed at the Baxter Theater in Cape Town.
Otherwise known as Siv-ilised Ngesi, this South African comic told IOL that "you either love me, or you hate me."
Stand-up comedy is no funny business. It's a tight industry, with only a handful of names making it to A-list status. Dave Chappelle is one of the lucky ones who made it, and then made it again after disappearing from comedy for over a decade, though not without some self-inflicted bumps along the way.
While he returned to critical acclaim and has made a deal to produce many more comedy specials for Netflix, Chappelle is still a divisive figure whose comments about the LGBTQ+ community have blacklisted him in many spaces. Most recently, his show at Minneapolis’ historic First Avenue theater was canceled the day of, after the venue finally addressed the backlash from staff and patrons caused by Chappelle's history of telling transphobic jokes. A statement from First Avenue read, "To staff, artists, and our community, we hear you and we are sorry. We know we must hold ourselves to the highest standards, and we know we let you down. We are not just a black box with people in it, and we understand that First Ave is not just a room, but meaningful beyond our walls.”
Chappelle is far from the only comedian with a controversial comeback story. Click on to learn more and discover some other famous cases.
Controversial Dave Chappelle and other stand-ups who made comebacks
Historic Minneapolis venue cancels Dave Chappelle show due to major backlash
CELEBRITY Comedy
Stand-up comedy is no funny business. It's a tight industry, with only a handful of names making it to A-list status. Dave Chappelle is one of the lucky ones who made it, and then made it again after disappearing from comedy for over a decade, though not without some self-inflicted bumps along the way.
While he returned to critical acclaim and has made a deal to produce many more comedy specials for Netflix, Chappelle is still a divisive figure whose comments about the LGBTQ+ community have blacklisted him in many spaces. Most recently, his show at Minneapolis’ historic First Avenue theater was canceled the day of, after the venue finally addressed the backlash from staff and patrons caused by Chappelle's history of telling transphobic jokes. A statement from First Avenue read, "To staff, artists, and our community, we hear you and we are sorry. We know we must hold ourselves to the highest standards, and we know we let you down. We are not just a black box with people in it, and we understand that First Ave is not just a room, but meaningful beyond our walls.”
Chappelle is far from the only comedian with a controversial comeback story. Click on to learn more and discover some other famous cases.