‘That’s not what I was doing’ – Dave Chappelle feels the Republican Party ‘weaponized’ his transgender jokes
Veteran comedian Dave Chappelle drew significant backlash from the LGBTQ community and other people over transgender jokes that he made on his Netflix standup comedy specials, The Closer (2021) and The Dreamer (2023).
Though Chappelle, 52, stood his ground and refused to apologize despite the intense backlash, he recently stated that he felt the Republican Party “weaponized” the transgender jokes that he made.
“I did resent that the Republican Party ran on transgender jokes. You know, I felt like they were doing a weaponized version of what I was doing. That’s not what I was doing,” Chappelle told Michel Martin on NPR’s Newsmakers program, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Chappelle then buttressed his point by making reference to a past encounter that he had with Republican politician, Lauren Boebert, at the U.S. Capitol and her actions after he said yes to her request for a photograph.
“And I just take pictures with whoever asked. I didn’t ask how they vote or what their voting record is,” Chappelle recalled.
“Then here comes Lauren Boebert and she said, ‘Can I get a picture?’ And I had already taken 40 pictures. I didn’t want to say no in front of everybody, but I didn’t know the phrase ‘I respectfully decline,’ he said, adding that he ultimately accepted her request.
“And then she posted the picture before I could even get from there to the show and says something to the effect of, ‘Just two people that know that it’s just two genders,’” he added. “Just instantly, like, weaponized or politicized. So I got to the arena, and I lit her ass up for doing that. And she should never do that to a person like me.”
Following the release of The Closer and the backlash that ensued, Chappelle addressed the controversy over the comments that he made about the trans community. One of Chappelle’s responses to the backlash came after some Netflix employees staged a walkout to protest the streaming giant throwing its weight behind the comedian.
In a video shared on Instagram, the comedian said that though he was willing to talk to LGBTQ workers of the video streaming company as well as the other people aggrieved by his comments on the special, he wasn’t going to take back his words.
