Dave Chappelle, a renowned comedian, recently revisited the contentious topic of transgenderism and gender identity in his latest Netflix special, “The Dreamer.”
This special, which premiered on December 31, has sparked a mix of praise and backlash due to Chappelle’s blunt approach to these sensitive issues.
In “The Dreamer,” Chappelle addresses the controversy surrounding his previous stand-up show on Netflix in 2021, where his jokes about gender identity had stirred significant backlash. He doubles down on his opinions about the transgender community in this latest special.
A particular story from the special, which has gone viral on social media, involves Chappelle’s visit to Jim Carrey on the set of “The Man on the Moon.” Carrey, who was employing a “method” acting approach for portraying Andy Kaufman, insisted on being addressed as “Andy.”
Chappelle humorously compares this experience to his feelings about transgender people, saying, “I wanted to meet Jim Carrey and I had to pretend this n—a was Andy Kaufman all afternoon. And he was clearly Jim Carrey. I could look at him and I could see he was Jim Carrey. Anyway, I say all that to say that’s how trans people make me feel.”
Chappelle’s candid remarks have garnered significant attention on social media, earning him both commendation and criticism. Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swimmer, and “Billboard Chris,” a conservative activist, are among those who have praised Chappelle’s straightforwardness. The clip from the special quickly amassed over 10 million views within 24 hours of its release.
Despite the controversy, Chappelle humorously remarks in the special that he won’t talk about trans people more than “three or four times” because it “wasn’t worth the trouble.” Instead, he jokes about shifting his focus to mocking “handicapped” people, citing their lack of organization compared to the LGBTQ community. Chappelle also touches upon other sensitive topics, such as California prisons allowing inmates to be placed according to their gender identity and his own experience of being attacked on stage by an LGBTQ assailant in 2022.
However, not all reactions to Chappelle’s special have been positive. Various entertainment outlets have criticized his heavy focus on gender identity jokes. Variety, Rolling Stone and The Daily Beast have all published articles questioning Chappelle’s choice of material, with Sean L. McCarthy from The Daily Beast expressing frustration over Chappelle’s and Ricky Gervais’ focus on the LGBTQ+ community.
Chappelle’s previous Netflix special, “The Closer,” also faced backlash for its content regarding transgender people. Activists called for Netflix to drop the program, and some Netflix employees staged a walkout in protest. In response, Chappelle remained firm, stating, “To the transgender community, I am more than willing to give you an audience, but you will not summon me. I am not bending to anybody’s demands. And if you want to meet with me, I’d be more than willing to,” adding that certain conditions needed to be met for such a meeting.
Chappelle has also attributed the efforts to cancel him to “corporate interests,” while claiming that the LGBTQ community has been “loving and supporting” toward him.
