Chappelle Rips on Trans, Disabled People in New Netflix Show

Comedian says he's done with trans jokes in new Netflix special, then pokes fun of them again
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 1, 2024 8:00 AM CST
Chappelle Targets Trans, Disabled People in New Special
Comedian Dave Chappelle performs at Madison Square Garden during his 50th birthday celebration week on Aug. 22 in New York.   (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Dave Chappelle's most recent controversy involved comments he made regarding the Israel-Hamas war, but he's now returning to a source of previous backlash. The 50-year-old comedian had taken heat in the past for remarks about the transgender community in his Netflix special The Closer, but that didn't stop him from injecting similar commentary into his latest Netflix special, The Dreamer, which debuted New Year's Eve, per Variety. In the new program, Chappelle revealed that he'd once gone to visit Jim Carrey as the latter filmed the 1999 movie Man on the Moon, about late comedian Andy Kaufman. In regard to Carrey pretending to be Kaufman while Chappelle was visiting, Chappelle noted, "That's how trans people make me feel."

Chappelle then went on an extended diatribe on how he was done poking fun of the trans community, before launching into a series of trans-themed barbs. "If you guys came here to this show tonight thinking that I'm going to make fun of those people again, you've come to the wrong show," he insisted. "I'm not f---ing with those people anymore. ... Maybe three or four times tonight, but that's it." He said he was "tired" of that particular conversation, "and you want to know why I'm tired of talking about them? Because these people acted like I needed them to be funny. Well, that's ridiculous. I don't need you. I got a whole new angle coming."

Chappelle then switched gears to go after a new target, per USA Today: the disabled community. "Tonight, I'm doing all handicapped jokes," he said. "They're not as organized as the gays, and I love punching down." Among those he joked about was former GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who's a paraplegic. Chappelle claimed to have met Cawthorn, noting, "Then I just walked away. I wanted him to see me do something he couldn't do. I skipped." Variety's take on this latest commotion? "Maybe it's time for Dave Chappelle to try some new material." Meanwhile, we're finding out what does offend the comedian: Chappelle stormed out of one of his shows in Hollywood, Florida, on Wednesday after a fan broke his no-phones rule during the performance, reports Gray News. (More Dave Chappelle stories.)

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