Dave Chappelle is one of those people who keeps pushing buttons past their breaking point, and on the subject of his most recent Netflix special, The Closer, he’s stirring up more controversy. It’s almost impressive. Now, he has decided against having his old school use his name for their theater, but the decision turned into a lecture while he was speaking at the school.
Chappelle spoke at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in D.C., which had planned on dedicating the theater to him. Instead, he decided against it. Students at the school loudly opposed the move, as Chappelle’s trans jokes and subsequent behavior caused them to have a heated Q&A with the comedian last fall.
This time, his visit consisted of him (via THR) telling the high schoolers that he wasn’t having his name associated with the school, encouraging them to go out and do stuff themselves, seemingly forgetting they that are all teenagers. “If you have more talent than me, display it. That is what our genre is about.”
According to HuffPost editor Philip Lews, Chappelle said “these kids didn’t understand that they were instruments of artistic oppression.” Adding that the criticism over his trans jokes made him want to double down. “The more you say I can’t say something, the more urgent it is for me to say it.”
Chappelle, who is an alum of the school, said hearing the backlash from students about his special The Closer “sincerely hurt me.”
“If you have more talent than me, display it. That is what our genre is about …”
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) June 21, 2022
The comedian added that despite how the students feel, his Netflix special is still praised. “No matter what they say about The Closer, it is still [one of the] most-watched specials on Netflix,” he said, adding that it was a “masterpiece.” Lewis then said that Chappelle described himself as “maybe a once in a lifetime talent.” He does have a talent for being unapologetic when it comes to his content.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)