Dave Chappelle’s comments on the trans community turned him into a divisive figure in pop culture. He faced protests, cancel culture, and everything in between due to the jokes surrounding the LGBTQ+ community.
Last summer, Minneapolis’ First Avenue club canceled Chappelle’s set. The venue apologized for booking Chappelle and vowed to create a “safe space” for their patrons.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 28: Dave Chappelle attends the Opening Night Party presented by NETFLIX IS A JOKE at W Hollywood on April 28, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Netflix)
In the latest episode of The Midnight Miracle, Chappelle described the move as a “wild stance” for a venue, “especially one that’s historically a punk rock venue.”
Eventually, the organizers moved the show to another venue. However, a group of protesters stood outside the venue as they pushed back against Chappelle and his fans.
“They threw eggs. They threw eggs at the [fans] who were lined up to see the show,” he recalled. From there, he described a woman who threw a police barricade out of anger toward Chappelle. However, the feelings of the protesters didn’t reflect his fans, who welcomed him on stage with a standing ovation. He noted that the trans community and their allies often claim that his jokes “are somehow gonna be the root cause of some impending violence.”
“But I gotta tell you, as abrasive as they were, the way they were protesting, throwing eggs at people, throwing barricades, cussing and screaming, [none of my fans] beat ‘em up,” he continued.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 22: Dave Chappelle attends the 2019 Netflix Primetime Emmy Awards After Party at Milk Studios on September 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Netflix )
Chappelle explained that the effects of trying to silence someone like him will eventually backfire.
“Trying to silence a person like me, I don’t think it has anything to do with being loved,” Chapelle added. He explained they rather create fear amongst those who don’t agree with them. “‘If you say this, then we will punish you. We’ll come to First Avenue and fuck your show up and we’ll come to the Varsity Theater and fuck your show up.’ And they just don’t get to do that.”
The Midnight Miracle is currently streaming on Luminary.
Chance The Rapper recently hosted the Black Star Line Festival in Ghana. During the festival, he faced backlash for inviting comedian Dave Chappelle, whose jokes were labeled as homophobic. Chicago rapper Chance The Rapper recently finished hosting the first Black Star Line Festival in Ghana. According to Rolling Stone, one part of the festival was […]
Even though it seemed as if Dave Chappelle had beat the attempts to cancel him, many have not forgotten about his transphobic jokes in his last Netflix special, The Closer. Critics of Chappelle spoke up about the comedian’s appearance at Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa’s Black Star Line Festival in Ghana. People thought that their addition of Chappelle and Talib Kweli, who was banned from Twitter for harassing a Black woman, was insensitive given Ghana’s current political climate.
There is currently an anti-LGBT+ bill trying to be pushed into legislation in Ghana. If the bill passes, it would “criminalize cross-dressing, public affection between two people of the same sex, marriage among same-sex couples, or the intent to marry someone who is the same sex.” Offenders would serve a minimum of 10 years in prison if convicted.
This recent criticism prompted Chance The Rapper to respond in a Rolling Stones interview.
“That was something that was on my mind from the jump when we made it,” Chance said. “I always wanted this festival to be something that, for one, provided access to people that don’t typically get to go to these concerts because a lot of the events around that time do price people out.”
He said, “The goal overall is to just create community. I think that within this trip. I think a lot of the people that came from the diaspora, most of the people, if not all of them, were very respectful of the space and a lot of relationships were built, a lot of people created substantial relationships and connections that I think will live long after this festival. I think it’s something that we just have to remain in conversation about. I think it’s important that those issues are raised, and those conversations are had.”
The Chicago native went on to say that he knew about the law that is trying to be passed but believes that Chappelle spoke on it.
“I think it’s something that Dave was actually shining a light on,” he said. “That’s where that conversation came from. Dave was making a comment about the comedy scene in Ghana when he said, ‘I bet gay jokes go over so well here,’ to which everybody laughed about.
“And he was making a point to say that in Ghana, you can make jokes about things that are about gay people, about trans people, about a lot of social constructs, just about anything in the world. But you can’t make a comment about the government there. That’s not funny and that’s not respected, and it can be dangerous. It’s the complete opposite where we come from, where we can speak about the government all we want.”
Chance then apologized to anybody from the LGBT+ community who felt offended by Chappelle’s joke or addition to the festival.
“Again, I wanted everyone to feel as welcome and communal as possible,” Chance concluded. “And so if having Dave there made people feel like they weren’t, that they didn’t have space or that they weren’t welcome, that was not my intention. And I can assure you there are a lot of people at the festival and at the talk from a lot of different backgrounds.”
As one Ghanaian writer put it, “Accra [the site of the festival] is uninhabitable for regular Ghanaians. The only people thriving are the diaspora and the wealthy.”
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Chance tried to address the backlash to the festival, highlighting its successes and doing his best to reframe Chappelle’s comments as a needed, ongoing dialogue. “I think it’s something that Dave was actually shining a light on,” he said of the comic’s set, which addressed Ghana’s anti-gay laws. “That’s where that conversation came from. Dave was making a comment about the comedy scene in Ghana when he said, ‘I bet gay jokes go over so well here.’”
“I feel bad that the person in the audience felt singled out or that the violence against the trans community or LGBTQ community in Ghana wasn’t being respected,” he continued. “… so if having Dave there made people feel like they weren’t, that they didn’t have space or that they weren’t welcome, that was not my intention… I can’t really all the way speak for Dave. I don’t want to say what he thinks or what he feels, but what I think I know about him is that he loves everybody, especially his people, meaning Black people, meaning Black people that are trans, Black people that are gay, Black people that are gender non-conforming, people period.”
Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa organized the Black Star Line Festival in Ghana, hosted a week ago. While the festival was a celebration of art, culture, and unity in the Black community, it did receive some criticism. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, the Chicago MC addressed concerns over inviting Dave Chappelle and other issues.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 02: Chance the Rapper performs on ‘Hip Hop Nation’ at the SiriusXM Studios on August 02, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)
Moreover, Chappelle’s inclusion comes after years of a controversial history regarding jokes towards the LGBTQ+ community. Such issues permeate Ghana, where an anti-LGBTQ+ bill is supported by a large party coalition. Also, there’s the issue of outsiders exacerbating local issues of economic inequality and poor living conditions in Ghana. Many believe that the Black Star Line Festival only adds fuel to this fire.
While all these elements provided inflammatory public discourse, the “No Problem” rapper spoke to Rolling Stone about the festival’s success.
“It was a really dope and deep moment,” the artist expressed. Also, he made a comment of how his sets ended up delayed. By the time Chance performed at 5 a.m. local time, many had already left. However, that mean there was room for more unticketed guests.
“And by that time, obviously the crowd going from 50,000 to 1,500 — it’s a lot of space. I think by that time the guards and everybody are like…there’s no real reason to keep people out at that point. I think they let a few hundred people in that had stayed all night because the video towers also allowed you to see the show from outside of the square. I’m still processing the whole thing, everything. It didn’t go all as planned, but it went perfectly.
“I’ve thrown five festivals and this is the second or third free one that I’ve done,” he continued. “But none of them have been to the scale of 50,000 plus people. Then for it to be overwhelmingly black and for it to be on the continent. And for a lot of people that was their first time in Ghana, whether they were American or of the diaspora. It was completely organized and put together by black folks on the continent. I think everybody was just very happy.”
Later in the interview, Chance addressed the concerns of outsiders impacting the quality of life for Ghanan citizens.
“Most of those festivals are native to Ghana,” he said. “There’s only myself and Vic’s Black Star Line Festival and Afro Nation are the only two that I know of that aren’t actually posited by people that are from Ghana. But that was something that was on my mind from the jump when we made it. I always wanted this festival to be something that, for one, provided access to people that don’t typically get to go to these concerts because a lot of the events around that time do price people out.”
Chance also said he “wanted to work with a 100% Ghanaian team in terms of not even just the production managers or directors, but also all the stagehands, all the equipment coming from production companies in Ghana. I can’t speak for all the festivals, but our festival created a whole lot of jobs and put a lot of people to work.
“That ancestry connection has been stolen away from us.”
“The goal overall is to just create community. I think that within this trip… a lot of the people that came from the diaspora, most of the people, if not all of them, were very respectful of the space and a lot of relationships were built. A lot of people created substantial relationships and connections that I think will live long after this festival… It’s something that we just have to remain in conversation about. I think it’s important that those issues are raised, and those conversations are had.”
Afterwards, Chance spoke on Chappelle’s inclusion in the festival and how they reached different conclusions to what many assume.
“I think it’s something that Dave was actually shining a light on,” he stated. “That’s where that conversation came from. Dave was making a comment about the comedy scene in Ghana when he said, “I bet gay jokes go over so well here,” to which everybody laughed about. And he was making a point to say that in Ghana, you can make jokes about things that are about gay people, about trans people, about a lot of social constructs, just about anything in the world. But you can’t make a comment about the government there. That’s not funny and that’s not respected, and it can be dangerous. It’s the complete opposite where we come from, where we can speak about the government all we want.
“I can’t really all the way speak for Dave. I don’t want to say what he thinks or what he feels, but what I think I know about him is that he loves everybody, especially his people, meaning Black people, meaning Black people that are trans, Black people that are gay, Black people that are gender non-conforming, people period. And I think that in that space, I would say I don’t believe that he bashed trans people or gay people at all throughout the entire conversation.”
What do you think of Chance the Rapper’s comments about the backlash to his Black Star Line Festival in Ghana? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments and check out the full interview below. Also, as always, check back in with HNHH for more important conversations surrounding the community.
Dave Chappelle is celebrating his arrival in Ghana by dancing. The comedian is on hand for Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa’s Black Star Line Festival. Chappelle is on hand to be part of the line-up, in conversation with Chance and had a pop-lock session with African dancers.
Ahead of co-headlining the festival with Chance the Rapper and Chappelle in Ghana this week, Vic Mensa is helping the area by bringing clean water to three villages.
According to TMZ, Mensa made a previous trip to Ghana and stated that after seeing the villages’ conditions, including poor water sources, he decided to make an impact. Mensa would partner with his father, a Ghana native, to launch an initiative.
“We’re building 3 boreholes in different communities in Ghana to provide clean drinking water; the first being the Asokore Zongo in Koforidua where my family lives, which is already built,” Vic said. “The other locations are a nearby community called Effiduase and then our ancestral village in the Volta Region, Amedzofe. Most people in communities like this in Ghana experience constant waterborne diseases.”
We all remember the video from earlier this year of Dave Chappelle being attacked while on stage. Seven months later, the man responsible for the attack, Isaiah Lee is receiving jail time for the offense.
Dave Chappelle speaks onstage during the 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame )
The incident occurred during the comedian’s appearance at the Hollywood Bowl in May. Video footage taken by other members of the audience shows the attack taking place. Seemingly out of nowhere, Lee leaps from the front row of the crowd to jump up on the stage.
Dave Chappelle was attacked tonight on stage by a man who tackled him while performing at the Hollywood Bowl.
Police say a man who was reportedly armed with a gun and a knife was taken into custody.
He subsequently bum-rushes Chappelle and tackles him. The comedian’s security and entourage were quick in their response, not allowing for the attacker to get very far.
Upon collecting himself, the 49-year-old proceeded to joke about the situation. “Thank God he was clumsy. He’s back there getting stomped,” he exclaimed while catching his breath.
A 23-year-old man was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon after tackling comedian Dave Chappelle while on stage during a performance on Tuesday night.
According to a report from Deadline, Lee has now pleaded no contest to the charge of assault with a deadly weapon. As a result, he receives 270 days in jail.
Although the attacker had a replica handgun containing a hidden knife at the time of the assault, Chappelle suffered no injuries.
Later reports indicated that Lee had actually made a rap song about the comedian in 2020, in which he makes reference to the future attack. “Walkin’ straight into da Bowl,” he raps.
This news arrives on the heels of Chappelle recently receiving backlash for another one of his shows. Just a few days ago, he brought out his friend Elon Musk to join him on stage in San Fransisco.
The new owner of Twitter was immediately met with boos. In his since-deleted response to the situation, the SpaceX CEO wrote, “Technically, it was 90% cheers & 10% boos (except during quiet periods), but, still, that’s a lot of boos, which is a first for me in real life (frequent on Twitter).”
Of course, Musk has been under a lot of fire ever since the handling of his acquisition of Twitter in October.
Dave Chappelle’s onstage attacker pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 270 days in county jail, according to Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.
The attacker, Isaiah Lee, was charged with one misdemeanor count of battery and entering a restricted area during a live event. The plea was entered nearly two months after a judge requested a diversion program that could dismiss the charges for Lee.
According to Deadline, Lee is currently behind bars for a different case. Last year, Lee was charged with stabbing his roommate at a transitional housing facility.
Chappelle was attacked onstage on May 3 while performing for the Netflix Is a Joke Festival.
A crowd at Dave Chappelle’s latest show in San Francisco booed Elon Musk when the billionaire was brought on stage, Sunday night. Footage from the event shows Musk receiving overwhelming disapproval from the audience.
“Ladies and gentlemen, make some noise for the richest man in the world,” Chappelle said firstly to introduce Musk.
BOCA CHICA BEACH, TX – AUGUST 25: SpaceX founder Elon Musk speaks during a T-Mobile and SpaceX joint event on August 25, 2022 in Boca Chica Beach, Texas. The two companies announced plans to work together to provide T-Mobile cellular service using Starlink satellites. (Photo by Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images)
“It sounds like some of the people you fired are in the audience,” Chappelle joked. “All these people who are booing, and I’m just pointing out the obvious, you have terrible seats.”
When the boos persisted, Chappelle continued to defend a seemingly uncomfortable Musk.
“Don’t say nothing. It’ll only spoil the moment,” Chappelle further said. “Do you hear that sound, Elon? That’s the sound of pending civil unrest. I can’t wait to see what store you decimate next, motherfucker. You shut the fuck up.”
Twitter appears to have suspended the owner of the original video or they have deleted their account as there is a message reading: “This Tweet is from an account that no longer exists.”
Musk later responded to the video of the incident going viral on Twitter.
“Technically, it was 90% cheers & 10% boos (except during quiet periods), but, still, that’s a lot of boos, which is a first for me in real life (frequent on Twitter),” he wrote. “It’s almost as if I’ve offended SF’s unhinged leftists … but nahhh.”
Musk has been drawing plenty of criticism in recent weeks since purchasing Twitter. Over the weekend, he came under fire for criticizing Anthony Fauci with an unoriginal joke about pronouns.
Check out the reaction to Musk’s appearance at Chappelle’s show below.
Technically, it was 90% cheers & 10% boos (except during quiet periods), but, still, that’s a lot of boos, which is a first for me in real life (frequent on Twitter).
It’s almost as if I’ve offended SF’s unhinged leftists … but nahhh.
(@AccraGuyy) 
(@thewavecheckk) 
