Dave Chappelle to release new Netflix special two years after trans backlash

7 December, 2023

Dave Chappelle

Dave Chappelle is set to release a new stand-up special on Netflix on New Year’s Eve. It comes two years after the comedian received a backlash due to comments he made about the trans community.

The new special was announced on X (formely Twitter), with the streaming service’s official Netflix is a Joke account posting a short teaser clip with the caption: “Dave Chappelle’s latest comedy special will launch globally on Netflix, December 31st.”

The currently untitled special will be Chappelle’s seventh for Netflix. The first four – The Age of Spin, Deep in the Heart of Texas, Equanimity and The Bird Revelation – were released in 2017. He followed those with Stick & Stones in 2019 and The Closer in 2021.

The comedian was heavily criticised for a joke he made in The Closer, in which he described himself as “team TERF” when addressing the controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling.

LGBTQ+ rights group GLAAD said at the time that his “brand has become synonymous with ridiculing trans people and other marginalised communities”, while many others also spoke out. Some Netflix employees also staged a virtual walkout in protest over his comments.

Responding to the original backlash to his special, Chappelle commented: “I said what I said and boy I heard what you said. My god, how could I not?

“You said you want a safe working environment at Netflix. Well, it seems like I’m the only one that can’t go to the office anymore.”

More recently, a number of audience members walked out of one of Chappelle’s stand-up shows after the comedian criticised Israel’s bombing of Gaza.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the comedian first condemned the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants during his show at TD Garden on Thursday (October 19). He then reportedly criticised Israel for what he said were war crimes in Gaza, and accused the United States of aiding the slaughter of innocent civilians.

His comments on the Israel-Hamas war apparently came about after he said he didn’t think students should lose their job offers for expressing their support for Palestine. According to attendees, that’s when an audience member told Chappelle to “shut up”, which sparked an emotional response from the comedian.

Chappelle is said to have then criticised the Israeli government for cutting off water, food and electricity to Gaza, and accused it of killing innocent civilians.

According to the WSJ, some audience members cheered and shouted, “Free Palestine”, while others yelled, “What about Hamas”. Others, however, are said to have left the arena.

The post Dave Chappelle to release new Netflix special two years after trans backlash appeared first on NME.