Dave Chappelle’s The Closer controversy shows no real signs of resolution. He continues to crack trans jokes onstage, weeks after his “final” Netflix comedy special included his declaration that he is “Team TERF,” meaning that he agrees with JK Rowling’s trans-exclusionary radical feminist position — a stance that spurred an employee walkout. Recently, Chappelle’s alma mater, Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Georgetown, pumped the brakes on renaming a theater after the comedian (after they already quietly cancelled a fundraiser for the same venue).
At the time of the brake pumping, Duke Ellington had responded to student “concerns” while declaring that they hoped to carefully consider these concerns, lest they squander “a missed opportunity for a teachable moment.” Well, Dave heard all about the disinviting, and he responded during his recent Indianapolis show. Essentially, he’s joking about it, and it’s coming off like the way that Vince Vaughn’s Swingers character got kicked out of a diner and then claimed, “I would never eat here anyway.”
Via IndyStar, Chappelle said, “They’re canceling stuff I didn’t even want to do.” More:
He made further light of the situation by saying his high school disinvited him from a planned fundraiser, lamenting that he “can’t even raise money for children.”
“They’re canceling stuff I didn’t even want to do.”
“If you think you’re mad at me — remember, I didn’t disinvite you from anything.
During this show, Chappelle also claimed that trans people aren’t really mad at him over The Closer. “If anyone says trans people are angry at me, they are wrong,” he asserted before continuing his trans jokes. “And if you see (a trans person), buy them a coffee or lipstick or whatever they want and tell them Dave Chappelle sent you.”
Previously, the Washington Post noted that Chappelle described the theater renaming as “the most significant honor of my life.” After Duke Ellington’s decision to postpone the renaming, Chappelle rep Carla Sims released a statement that indicated that Chappelle “supports the school and any effort to contribute to open conversations vs. cancellations.” His onstage declarations, however, aren’t as cooperative, and in fact, it sounds like he’s pushing back by now claiming that trans people aren’t mad at him. Whereas last week in Des Moines, Iowa, he told his live audience, “Boy, I went too far with The Closer. The trans always get mad, but this time I did it.”
(Via IndyStar & Washington Post)