Dave Chappelle calls out woke push to cancel free speech
'The Big Saturday Show' co-hosts weigh in on the push to cancel comedy and Dave Chappelle's explanation to why he thinks people protest him.
Comedy icon Dave Chappelle took home his fourth Grammy award on Sunday, an honor that also made him one of the most decorated targets of the liberal press online.
Chappelle’s win at the 2023 Grammy Awards for best comedy album sparked an almost immediate backlash from The Hollywood Reporter and other entertainment outlets, who spun Chappelle’s achievement as a victory for "transphobic" people.
"Dave Chappelle Wins Grammy for Netflix Special Condemned for Being Transphobic," The Hollywood Reporter headlined on Sunday. Another outlet, The Advocate, claimed that Chappelle’s 2021 comedy special "The Closer" has been "widely called out for its transphobic material."
Chappelle’s win at the 2023 Grammy Awards for best comedy album sparked an almost immediate backlash from The Hollywood Reporter and other entertainment outlets, who spun Chappelle’s win as a victory for "transphobic" people. (Mike Coppola)
Some commentators mocked the biased framing around Chappelle’s Grammy win.
"I’m shocked they made this a category but I mean who else was gonna win it," Atlantic writer Ed Zitron joked in a tweet that went viral with over 115,000 likes and more than 6.6 million views.
One user wrote back that with "a few more awards [Chappelle] could go for the coveted BIGOT [award.]"
Chappelle's comedy special, which premiered on Netflix in October 2021, was the subject of attacks from the LGBTQ community, who labeled it "transphobic."
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At Netflix itself, roughly one hundred staffers protested Chappelle’s show, with some activists getting into an altercation with a counter protester holding a "We like Dave" sign.
Chappelle's comedy special, which premiered on Netflix in October 2021, was the subject of attacks from the LGBTQ community, who labeled it "transphobic." (Getty Images)
Netflix issued a statement responding to the controversy in 2021.
"We value our trans colleagues and allies, and understand the deep hurt that’s been caused. We respect the decision of any employee who chooses to walk out, and recognize we have much more work to do both within Netflix and in our content," the company wrote.
But Netflix refused to take down Chappelle’s special.
Chappelle addressed his critics directly during the controversy, saying he would consider meeting with transgender employees at Netflix if they watched his entire comedy special, allowed him to choose the time and place of the meeting, and admitted that Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby is not funny.
But not all critics were laughing. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans slammed the Grammys for giving a platform to Chappelle.
"Wow. Grammys really don't care; one year after giving an award to admitted harasser Louis C.K., they gave one to Dave Chappelle's homophobic and transphobic Netflix special."
"Sigh," Deggans wrote.
Fox News’ Tyler McCarthy contributed to this report.
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