Dave Chappelle mocks media 'trouble' he faced over his transgender jokes from past years
The comedian argued standup is a medium where every perspective is represented and artists would never silence one another
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a candid, on-location interview released Wednesday, comedy legend Dave Chappelle joined former first lady Michelle Obama and her brother, Craig Robinson, for their podcast IMO to discuss the "avalanche" of the modern news cycle and the loss of nuance in public discourse.
The episode, recorded in Chappelle’s hometown of Yellow Springs, Ohio, finds the comedian reflecting on his past controversies with a mix of defiance and exhaustion, at one point joking that his battles over transgender jokes now feel like "the good old days" compared to the current state of the world.
Addressing the years of backlash following his Netflix specials like "The Closer," Chappelle argued that the media often mischaracterizes his relationship with the subjects of his jokes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"People would think it’s me versus the gay community… I never looked at it like that," Chappelle said. "I always thought it was corporate interest and culture negotiating itself."
MARC MARON CLAIMED NETFLIX STANDING BY DAVE CHAPPELLE SHOWS 'FASCISM IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS'
Dave Chappelle was a hot topic during the early 2020's as his popular comedy routines involving transgender ideology enraged many liberal viewers. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
Chappelle offered a staunch defense of the comedy club as a sanctuary for free expression, describing it as a place where "every opinion you can think of is represented" and where comics of all backgrounds—including transgender, Black, White, and Asian—refuse to silence one another.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We might duke it out on stage... but silencing that person wouldn’t be anything," he said, adding that after the shows, the comics are "all upstairs drinking" and hashing out their disagreements as artists.
He saved his sharpest criticism for the media, accusing outlets of stripping the "nuance" out of art to fit a binary narrative.
"Nothing makes a comedian madder than reading his joke wrong in the paper," Chappelle said. "If [art] is going to be good or even hopefully great, you gotta have a margin of error... but the media was acting like thought or speech was binary."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}COMEDIAN RICKY GERVAIS SAYS ‘FREE SPEECH’ ESSENTIAL FOR COMEDY, ADMITS ANY JOKE WILL OFFEND SOMEONE
Comedian Dave Chappelle spoke to Michelle Obama about looking back at the backlash not only from viewers, but from the media, who he derided for criticizing his standup routines without even attending them. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/For The Washington Post)
The conversation took a more somber turn when discussing the current political and social climate. Chappelle lamented a 24-hour news cycle that he finds increasingly overwhelming.
"Every day the news cycle is more appalling than the last day, and this doesn't seem like it's ever gonna end," Chappelle said. "And every week I learn some new word, like 'Strait of Hormuz,' or blah, blah, blah."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He even used his own daughter’s perspective to take a jab at President Donald Trump, who has been a frequent target of his lately. Chappelle recalled telling someone: "You know, my daughter is 16, so Donald Trump is the first White president she’s ever seen. And my baby’s like, 'Oh no! They’re not good at it, Daddy!'"
In a moment of dark irony, Chappelle noted that the intense "cancellation" efforts he faced in recent years now seem minor. "Someone asked me about my transgender jokes... and I go, 'Ah, the good old days!'"
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dave Chappelle said that every day of news is more appalling than the last, joking as if there were less worries in the days he was simply facing widespread condemnation. (Rosalind O'Connor/NBC)