After trans activists attempted to have the megastar cancelled in response to his jokes, comedian Dave Chappelle is back on stage.
It was first revealed on Today on Tuesday that the “Dave Chappelle Live” stand-up tour will begin in late August in New York City’s Madison Square Garden and end in Chicago in October.
The announcement follows an attempt by a group of trans activists to get the well-known comedian fired, initially over his 2021 Netflix special “The Closer,” which included jokes about transgenderism. It was alleged that the Chappelle special contained transphobic and homophobic material. Transgender Netflix staff members organised a nationwide walkout at the time to express their disapproval of the comedian and pressure the streaming service to axe the show.
Ted Sarandos, who was then co-CEO of Netflix, first defended Chappelle and the special by pointing out the streaming service’s longtime association with the comedian.
Chappelle is one of the most well-known stand-up comedians right now, and we have a long-standing relationship with him, according to a business memo distributed to employees. Our most watched, stickiest, and most award-winning stand-up special to date is his most recent special, “Sticks & Stones,” which is also contentious, Sarandos wrote. As with all of our talent, we make a big effort to defend their right to express themselves freely, even if this means there will always be material on Netflix that some people deem to be offensive.
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At the time, Netflix noted in a statement to Variety that the business encourages staff to “disagree openly” with the viewpoint.
Later, Sarandos changed his mind and admitted in an interview with Variety that he “screwed up” in the way he handled staff complaints. He also went into greater detail about what the firm does and does not consider to be hate speech.
Chappelle has been the target of several incidents outside the Netflix squabble.
The comedian was attacked by a man brandishing a knife while on stage at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles last year. Isaiah Lee, the assailant, was ultimately detained and charged with four misdemeanours.
Later, representatives of the Los Angeles Police Department told NBC Los Angeles that the suspect was carrying “a replica gun that, when fired properly, could eject a knife blade.”
Following the incident, Chappelle’s agent released a statement in which the comedian said that he “refuses to allow last night’s incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment,” noting that Chappelle’s show tied him with the Monty Python comedy group for the most headlining appearances at that illustrious venue.