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.
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.
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.