As usual, Dave Chappelle is taking the protests against him in stride. The comedy legend once again made headlines this week after his show at First Avenue in Minneapolis was canceled just hours before he was to take the stage. First Avenue is the iconic venue shown in Prince’s Purple Rain, and after receiving backlash for booking Chappelle, they released a statement apologizing to people who were angered by the appearance.
“The First Avenue team and you have worked hard to make our venues the safest spaces in the country, and we will continue with that mission,” they said. “We believe in diverse voices and the freedom of artistic expression, but in honoring that, we lost sight of the impact this would have.”
Dimitrios Kambouris / Staff / Getty Images
Meanwhile, Chappelle’s comedy show was moved to a nearby theater, and Daily Mail reportedly sent their reps to check things out. They stated that Chappelle cracked jokes about the cancelation, adding that he would “respect” his protesters “more if there was at least one black person!” Chappelle also reportedly took aim at “Cancel Culture” while also speaking on his “difficulty using pronouns.
He also reportedly told jokes that involved his peers including “Chris Rock, Will Smith, and Louis CK.” During an exchange with people in the audience, a teenager was said to have told Chappelle that he wanted to be a comedian. Chappelle received laughs after he advised the teen to stay far away from making jokes about trans people.
Check out First Avenue’s initial statement about their cancelation below.
[via]