LGBTQ+ Community Not Laughing at Dave Chappelle in Netflix Special

Entertainment

By ShaCamree Gowdy Published: October 6, 2021

LGBTQ+ Community Not Laughing at Dave Chappelle in Netflix Special

In this Oct. 27, 2019, file photo, Chappelle arrives at Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for the 22nd Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor presented to Dave Chappelle, in Washington. Chappelle has found himself at the center of criticism following comments made in his latest Netflix special "The Closer." He has since been uninvited from a fundraiser being held in his honor at his former high school. (Photo by Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP, File)

In Summary

Dave Chappelle has never been one to care about what others think of him, a characteristic he will definitely need following inappropriate comments made in his latest Netflix special.

Dave Chappelle has found himself at the center of controversy following jokes he made in The Closer, which the LGBTQ+ community, specifically trans people, did not find funny—at all.

According to its official Netflix description, “As he closes out his slate of comedy specials, Dave takes the stage to try and set the record straight—and get a few things off his chest.” And that he did.

“Now, I am not saying that to say trans women aren’t women, I am just saying that those p—ies that they got… you know what I mean? I’m not saying it’s not p—y, but it’s Beyond P—y or Impossible P—y. It tastes like p—y, but that’s not quite what it is, is it? That’s not blood,” he said, per PEOPLE’s Dan Heching. “That’s beet juice.”

In another scene, Chappelle appears to draw a hard line between the Black and queer communities, leaving little possibility for overlap. He also addressed the LGBTQ+ community “personally,” and said he wanted to “negotiate the release of DaBaby.”

DaBaby found himself in hot water this summer following inaccurate and downright ignorant remarks he made about AIDS and HIV and the LGBTQ+ community during his performance at Rolling Loud. He reportedly asked patrons to “put a cellphone light in the air” if they didn’t “show up today with HIV/AIDS, or any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in two to three weeks.”

The “ROCKSTAR” rapper eventually lost a number of endorsement deals and was dropped from various concert lineups. He went on to issue a since-deleted apology on his Instagram page and met with several HIV organizations.

NPR’s Eric Deggans reports The Closer ends with a heartwarming story about transgender comic Daphne Dorman, a friend of Chappelle’s who opened for him during a club appearance in San Francisco in 2019. The comedian committed suicide the same year, with Chappelle saying she received a lot of criticism online for defending him against transphobic allegations.