Should there ever be whining about jokes? mean, if you're a comedian, you live with the jokes and you have to suffer the consequences, I guess, of the jokes. Doesn't every comedian know that? Or maybe I'm wrong. I'm not a comedian, but I just thought that they were like, thick [00:00:17] skin is rule number one. And maybe once I get into the details, you'll agree with Mr. Chappelle. Chappelle show. And maybe more. Dave Chappelle whining about GOP using his anti-trans jokes. Here's what Mr. Chappelle said during a recent interview with NPR. And I did resent that the [00:00:38] Republican Party ran on transgender jokes. know, I felt like they were doing a weaponized version of what I was doing. didn't, it's not what I was doing. I'll give you an example. As before I learned the phrase, I respectfully declined. and I was on Capitol Hill and everybody ran [00:00:58] up to take pictures with me from every congressional office and I just take pictures with whoever I ask. I didn't ask how they voted, what their voting record is. And everyone at first was like CBC people and then here comes Lauren Boebert and she said, can I get a picture? [00:01:16] And I'd already taken 40 pictures. I didn't want to say no for everybody but I didn't know the phrase, I respectfully declined. So I just took the picture and then she... post a picture before I could even get from there to the show and says something to the effect of just two people that knew that it's just too generous. She instantly like weaponized or politicized. [00:01:35] So I got to the arena and I lit her ass up for doing that. And she should never do that personally. If Chappelle's outspoken, he is an artist, um a comedic genius. There, I said it. But see [00:01:54] where you land on all of this. Chappelle was asked if he was punching down in his comedy. Listen to his response. But what about people who feel like you're punching down? Like you're not, you are not a trans person. And um there are people who feel like, It's different when [00:02:14] you are part of the group that has been attacked, hurt, demeaned, et cetera. And then if you're outside of that group and you're having comments here about it, it causes feelings. And what do you say to people who feel that in some occasions you're punching down? Well, okay, this is a [00:02:31] conversation that, you know. You're bored by, sick of? Yeah, I'm not sick of it. I don't want to be dismissive to that sentiment, but... I don't know, that's a tough one for me because so much of that was a media phenomenon. What was happening in actual life versus how the [00:02:53] media was reporting on my show. And I feel like the way they were put on that show was rage baiting to some degree. It's almost, reporting was as if, they almost reported on it as if I was doing something other than a comedy show. Reading a joke is a lot different. than sitting [00:03:13] in a room and hearing it. And part of the sitting in the room part, part of the reasons comedy works is because everyone that bought a clearly they wanted to work. They wanna have a good time. They wanna have fun. But if you're a person that is very angry or passionate about [00:03:33] something and you're afraid that you're gonna be uh misrepresented or misconstrued and. You feel like you have to police comedy to get your point across. You should assess your point. I want you to, I don't know, sit with it, let it marinate a little bit. What about where [00:03:53] Dave Chappelle chooses to share his gift like that? Saudi Comedy Festival, he addressed that too. Yeah, I know we're talking about the Comedy Festival in 2025. You did get a lot of fall. You did get a lot of, I don't know what your pushback or criticism. Okay, the intelligence, [00:04:12] US intelligence did make it clear. that they believe that the Saudis killed Jamal Khashoggi and the embassy in Turkey. And you knew that when you went, right? Oh, absolutely not. I should tell you. You had no qualms? I won't say that. They asked me to go years before [00:04:27] that. And I said no for that very reason. Since that time, the United States government does business with the Saudis. Netflix does business with the Saudis. Everyone, the Saudis finance tons of movies. All these, I know I see them financing boxing matches and all these things. [00:04:44] And none of these things were an issue until I went there. And why is that? As soon as a black man can make money off the plantation, they try to tell you that the money is dirty. Well, OK, I'll go home and spend the money with actual slave owners on it. Where is this clean [00:05:01] money you're talking But you said you hesitated for years to go, the years you didn't go. So what made the difference for you? Time. Time and circumstance. Time and the wheels of commerce kept turning. You know, if you want to be that pure about money, then stop driving your car, [00:05:19] stop eating, don't use your cell phone. Everything is tethered to something that's just terrible. And I can make a million excuses or reasons to deprive the crowd of that show. But man, when I was standing in front of them, I feel like I did the right thing. Dave Chappelle, [00:05:37] candid. I can't wait to hear your comments about it. um This is not the first time Chappelle has addressed the backlash. During Dave Chappelle's newest comedy special, Dave Chappelle, The Unstoppable and In It, he talked about his controversial performance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in [00:05:54] Saudi Arabia. In the special, the comedian said, it's no problem taking money from the country because he said, quote, it's easier to talk in Saudi Arabia for me than it is in America. And said, He was almost canceled because he joked about trans people. But he said, I [00:06:12] got to tell you something, transgender jokes went over very well in Saudi Arabia. Out Magazine, that quote. 2021 Netflix special, the closer, the comedian sparked backlash after saying gender is a fact, calling himself teen turp. Term meaning trans exclusionary radical feminists. [00:06:33] Turfs deny the validity of transgender people and transgender identities. Sarah McBride, former National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, told USA Today at the time during the same special. Chappelle also defended J.K. Rowling, the Harry Potter author who has [00:06:50] similarly been criticized for her anti-trans statements. He maintained, though, that he has never had a problem with transgender people. Some Netflix employees staged a walkout in 2021 over Chappelle's special, but this streamer stood by him. Chappelle's 2023 special, The [00:07:09] Dreamer, also took a jab at the trans community during a joke where he described meeting Jim Carrey, but being frustrated because the actor refused to break character as Andy Kaufman, who he was playing in the film Man on the Moon. I was very disappointed because I wanted to [00:07:24] meet Jim Carrey and I had to pretend this guy was Andy Kaufman all afternoon, said. It was clearly Jim Carrey. I could look at him and I could see it Jim Carrey. Anyway, I say all that to say that's how trans people make me feel. USA Today, contributing to the reporting. [00:07:44] It was a shock to most comedy fans when it was announced Chappelle, along with a host of other prominent comedians would perform in Saudi Arabia at a new. Comedy Festival. Comedians called out the festival and the headliners who agreed to perform, including Chappelle, Bill Burr, [00:08:00] Louis C.K., Kevin Hart, Whitney Cummings, Pete Davidson, and Hannibal Burruss, among others. In his special, Chappelle also addressed Charlie Kirk's assassination, sharing that he was shook because after news outlets reported, but then later, well, back claims that there were [00:08:21] pro-transgender phrases on the bullets that killed him. I was at home like, oh, no, I'm dead as fried chicken, he said. Nonetheless, Shabelle boasts about taking money from the Saudi government saying in his special, I'll take money from Saudi Arabia any day just so [00:08:37] I can say no over here. Feels good to be free, he continued. And I know that people in Saudi Arabia can't say all the things that I was allowed to say, but a deal's a deal. And the king said that I could say these things. So I looked at it like I was on a diplomatic mission. I've [00:08:58] got to bring P. Joe's to the Middle East. But the comedian said he doesn't feel guilty at all and had a few choice words for those who have spoken out against the festival. These MFers act like because I did a comedy festival in Saudi Arabia, I somehow betrayed my principles. [00:09:18] said, well, Saudi Arabia killed journalists. And rest in peace, Jamal showed. I'm sorry that he got murdered in such a heinous fashion and also, look bro, Israel's killed 240 journalists in the last three months. So I didn't know y'all were still counting. It's just, I feel [00:09:40] like I've been in just a heavyweight bout after reading his comments, listening to some of them. um I think it's a brilliant interview. think it says a lot. There's so much to unpack there. um There's this juxtaposition between this wildly famous, intensely wealthy, uh successful [00:10:00] comedian who clearly is not just telling knock-knock jokes. There's so many layers here. And the fact that he is a black man who has some things to get off his chest, but also, community, [00:10:19] a marginalized community saying, why are we consistently the butt of these jokes? I'm all over the place, Elliot, and I'm not trying to dodge it. There's just a lot to unpack here, and I wonder where you start. Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. There's a lot of competing [00:10:41] thoughts. One is, I mean, I will always have a soft spot. for Dave Chappelle. think he is generally speaking hilarious. I think he's a genius. That said, there's a lot recently, especially with the stuff you were just reading that I just kind of, he doesn't entirely lose [00:10:57] me, but he starts to lose me pretty hard when he starts doing this like, well, I had, did this because that way I can say no in the United States and it's like you're Dave Chappelle, you could say no to anybody. You have that kind of money, you're incredibly successful [00:11:12] and coming or getting this like there's like a victim complex as well when these comedians have backlash that I think is really tiring and I think that it shouldn't. This naivety of, can't believe my trans jokes are being used by right wingers is not surprising. I thought [00:11:30] about Wilhoyt's law, which is the idea in conservative politics that there's always gotta be an in group that the law protects but doesn't bind and then out group that the law. uh binds but does not protect. When you make fun of an out group, i.e. trans people like Dave Chappelle did, you can't be surprised when it's essentially usurped or captured by right wing ideology. [00:11:50] And I think he's just kind of pretending that like none of that's case, that he's somehow a victim. At the same time, he's Dave Chappelle and he's a legend. So I just wish that, the same way he's getting bored with the question, I think people might be getting kind of bored with that same answer as well. Yeah, and maybe it's time to move on to new material. I mean, [00:12:08] community, maybe comedians, you know, and I'm not saying, you know, I'll just move on. it's, know, it's if it's difficult to laugh and we have to explain it. And I'm just talking about Chappelle, but just in jokes in general, then, you know, like they're constantly doing with [00:12:25] Trump not to point to. But what about what Chappelle said about Jamal Shoghi and. The Saudis. And then Israel killing journalists and the other what about ism that he did about [00:12:45] the American government and others making money in the same way. So why are you coming at me? Yeah, that same victim complex creeping up again and seeing things through a lens of just like, well, what about this? Why are you so upset with me? everyone still loves Dave Chappelle. [00:13:04] I also think that like, when you're going into that kind of material itself, you're gonna end up sounding a little hacky. And then when you take that response, which is a very legit response, and use it to suddenly become like a foreign affairs expert where you're going, [00:13:19] well, actually this happened in this nation, this happened in this nation. like, I think you're losing the plot just a little bit. And maybe as you said, maybe get some new material and maybe some new places to perform like Los Angeles or anywhere in the country or rest of the world. I have a soft spot for Dave Chappelle too. And I just, yeah, I don't know. When comedians [00:13:44] have to sit down and give interviews, and I love, I thought that was fascinating, good on Michelle. But when they have to explain, it can be difficult. I almost wish Chappelle, like fearless comedians do at times, would have just answered the question, said, because I [00:13:59] can, you know. Like this was my choice. doing it, period. Whether you agree with it or not is another matter. But the layers of the explanation, I just don't, I gotta sit with it even more, believe it or not.