Source: Christopher Polk / Getty
It’s been a little while since comedian Dave Chappelle was last slammed for his continuous use of jokes that have been deemed anti-trans during his Netflix stand-up specials, but one fellow comedian has not forgotten. She had no issue calling the Chappelle’s Show creator out during her own Netflix special, which was released this week.
Comedian Michelle Buteau took aim at Chappelle during her Netflix stand-up special “Michelle Buteau: A Buteau-ful Mind at Radio City Music Hall,” which aired Tuesday.
From Variety:
Buteau began criticizing Chappelle after telling a story about her “Black lesbian friend.” She noted the subject matter elicited a spectrum of reactions from the crowd, with some laughing and some uncomfortable, but emphasized that comedians should be able “to tell jokes and stories and not disparage a whole community.”
“We can do that. We can make it funny,” Buteau said. “We just have to work at it, right? So, if you ever run into Dave Chappelle can you let him know that shit? I don’t think he knows that shit.”
Not exactly a subtle dig at the 51-year-old comedy legend, but her point was made.
During her routine, Buteau also referred to Chappelle as “the GOAT,” but she wasn’t attempting to offset her criticism of him by giving him his flowers during the same bit. In fact, she wasn’t calling Chappelle the “greatest of all time” at all. Instead, she said, in Chappelle’s case, “GOAT” stands for “going off on trans people.”
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“I can’t believe somebody would make millions and millions of dollars for making people feel unsafe. That is so wild to me, truly,” Buteau continued. “I’m manifesting this sh*t tonight. This is a Radio City Music Hall takeover, and I’m gonna tell everybody I wanna make millions and millions of dollars for making people feel safe, seen, secure, heard and entertained.”
Indeed, stern criticism of Chappelle’s material regarding the trans community has
followed the actor and comedian since his first Netflix special aired, but it hasn’t prevented him from getting booked by the streaming platform, and it certainly hasn’t stopped him from continuing to make the jokes. Throughout the controversy, Chappelle has complained that audiences are trying to censor him, but, as Buteau noted, he has been paid “millions and millions of dollars” to make the jokes he claims he’s being condemned for making. That’s really not censorship.
So, what do y’all think? Is Michelle Buteau right about Dave? See how social media is reacting to the dig below.
