Dave Chappelleis laughing in the face of cancel culture. After one venue canceled his show due to protestors and backlash surrounding the controversial comedian, it was moved to another venue and Dave went IN with the jokes. Find out what he said inside…
A venue in Minneapolis canceled Dave Chappelle’s scheduled stand-up comedy show, following heated protests outside of the venue in response to “transphobic jokes” Dave previously made.
The venue First Avenue canceled Dave Chappelle's comedy show on Wednesday (July 20th), citing public backlash surrounding the controversial comedian. Folks were outside of the venue protesting Dave’s show and people were dragging the venue online for allowing him to perform.
Since Dave’s Netflix comedy special “The Closer” premiered in October 2021, folks in the LGBTQ+ community have been speaking out, and they feel many of the jokes he told were “transphobic."
In the cancellation announcement, First Avenue didn’t mention Dave’s trans jokes were the reason for the cancellation.
We hear you. Tonight’s show has been cancelled at First Avenue and is moving to the Varsity Theater. See our full statement for more. pic.twitter.com/tkf7rz0cc7
— First Avenue (@FirstAvenue) July 20, 2022
“To staff, artists, and our community, we hear you and we are sorry,” the venue said in a statement posted to Twitter. “We know we must hold ourselves to the highest standards, and we know we let you down."
Soon after, the comedy show was moved to Varsity Theater, which is about 10 minutes away from the previous venue. The venue said it would honor all First Avenue tickets that were originally purchased for the show. Separate shows had already been scheduled for Thursday and Friday at the Varsity Theater.
Attention Dave Chappelle Fans! The show scheduled for tonight at First Ave has now been moved to Varsity Theater. Your tickets from First Ave will be honored. Doors open at 8PM and we highly recommend arriving early.
This event will be a phone-free experience. pic.twitter.com/khrphPmqZo
— Varsity Theater (@VarsityTheater) July 20, 2022
Due to the overwhelming response, the venue added an additional show:
Due to overwhelming demand, we have added late shows starting at 10:30PM to Dave Chappelle on July 21 and July 22! Get yours before they’re gone: https://t.co/MxZYvHQ3ySpic.twitter.com/HxgjCtAtB2
— Varsity Theater (@VarsityTheater) July 19, 2022
As you know, Dave doesn’t shy away from controversy, so when he hit the stage at the Varsity Theater, he reacted to the protestors trying to cancel him. And - of course - he cracked jokes about it.
”I’d respect them more if there was at least one black person!,” he reportedly told the audience at the sold-out show.
A writer for the DailyMail attended the show and said the 48-year-old comedian rattled off jokes about cancel culture and his ongoing difficulty using pronouns.
EXCLUSIVE: Dave Chappelle mocks protesters who forced him to move Minneapolis show https://t.co/7ZAcbjD9xPpic.twitter.com/5wfCOGKJQQ
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) July 22, 2022
He told the audience he found using the correct pronouns confusing “when the reproductive system is made out of words and semantics.”
”Comedy is just comedy,” he said when he hit the stage, noting 50 years ago, GeorgeCarlin was arrested for performing his “seven words you can't say on television” routine. The controversial comedian also joked about the infamous Oscars slap involving his homie Chris Rock and Will Smith.
DailyMail reports:
In particular, he kept coming back to a teen boy in the audience who said he wanted to be a comedian. Chappelle advised him to stay away from trans jokes.
Concluding his routine, Chappelle urged his fans to greet animosity with love. And despite a small number of protesters who petitioned the show, the fans walked away smiling.
The protesters didn't stop fans from coming to the show, some coming in costumes including at least one dressed as Prince, a nod to one of Chappelle's most famous sketches.
Tonight, Dave Chappelle will hit the stage for two shows at the Varsity Theater. It appears cancel culture isn't working on Dave.
Photo: Featureflash/Depositphotos
