'Shut up!': Fans reportedly storm out of Dave Chappelle show after comedian criticized Israel's bombing of Gaza



Fans reportedly walked out of a recent Dave Chappelle stand-up comedy show after the legendary comedian criticized Israel's bombing of Gaza.

Chappelle reportedly made the incendiary remarks during a stand-up comedy show at the TD Garden in Boston on Thursday.

Chappelle delved into the polarizing topic by saying none of the Harvard and Columbia students should lose their jobs over public statements supporting Palestinians and blaming Israel for the recent conflict that has taken the lives of more than 5,700 Israelis and Palestinians. A law firm rescinded letters of employment for three law students who signed the anti-Israel document.

An audience member allegedly yelled at Chappelle to "shut up!"

The Wall Street Journal reported that the heckler "drew an emotional response from Chappelle, who criticized the Israeli government for cutting off water and other essentials to Gaza and accused it of killing innocent people, according to the attendees."

Chappelle reportedly told the heckler to shut up, according to an alleged audience member who recalled the eventful comedy show.

Chappelle claimed that the U.S. government had taken "billions of dollars" to "go kill innocent women and children."

Chappelle allegedly accused Israel of committing "war crimes."

Many in the crowd applauded Chappelle for retaliating against the heckler.

Some of the comedy crowd members shouted, "Free Palestine!" Meanwhile, others screamed, "What about Hamas!"

However, some audience members stormed out of the comedy show, according to witnesses.

Chappelle conceded that the surprise Hamas terrorist attack was not the "right" thing to do.

A spokeswoman allegedly told Fox News that Chappelle denied performing in Boston on the date in question. However, Chappelle's website and the TD Garden site list Chappelle as a performer. The spokesperson did not provide any other comment on the situation.

This isn't the first time that Chappelle has angered some of the audience at his comedy shows.

In May, a San Francisco-based blogger became furious when the comedian pointed out how much the city had deteriorated because of crime and homelessness.

In November 2022, Chappelle made some eye-raising remarks while hosting "Saturday Night Live," which some have deemed to be anti-Semitic.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

'What the f*** happened to this place?': Dave Chappelle smashes San Francisco in surprise comedy show, blogger gets offended



Dave Chappelle recently delivered a surprise stand-up comedy show in San Francisco, California. Chappelle reportedly trashed San Francisco over how wretched the conditions have deteriorated in the Golden City. However, one local blogger got offended by the comedian's jokes.

Chappelle performed stand-up comedy at the Masonic Auditorium on Thursday. Chappelle restricted attendees from using cell phones during the performance to keep audience members from recording content and from being distracted.

The SFGATE website sent a blogger to cover the comedy show of the much-maligned stand-up comedian.

The blogger noted that Chappelle called San Francisco his second home.

However, Chappelle was not afraid to point out how San Francisco has spiraled out of control because of rampant crime and a breakdown of societal norms.

Chappelle reportedly asked the San Francisco crowd, "What the f*** happened to this place?”

The iconic stand-up comedian purportedly was about to enter an Indian restaurant in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco when someone defecated near the entrance.

Chappelle allegedly joked that San Francisco had become "half 'Glee,' half zombie movie."

Chappelle wisecracked that the city had worsened to such an extent that the citizens "need a Batman!"

The all-time great comedian allegedly quipped that the only good thing about San Francisco was meeting Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry when he was a rookie.

The SFGATE blogger then attacked Chappelle, claiming that the stand-up comedian had "said plenty of irresponsible and dangerous things" in the past. The blogger compared Chappelle to Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, and Kanye West for the way he had "insulated himself from criticism with a combination of incredible talent and incredible wealth."

The culture blogger – who previously wrote articles about a puppet that sings Vanesa Carlton songs, psychedelic pranksters, and a "Mrs. Doubtfire" musical – then critiqued one of the greatest stand-up comedians of all time.

The blogger dug up the transgender controversy surrounding Chappelle's stand-up special "Closer," which debuted in October 2021. The blogger accused Chappelle's comedy of taking "a dark turn toward transphobia."

"In addition to being insensitive, they are often just plain lazy, relying on tropes rather than the comedian’s incisive wit," the blogger scrutinized the legendary comic's jokes.

The SFGATE blogger claimed that Chappelle "settled for a barrage of transphobic dog whistles" during his San Francisco comedy show. The critic asserted that "these dog whistles" had "spoiled" the comedy routine for him. He also seemed to demean the audience by saying, "However, I’m not sure how much of the audience really understood that context."

The blogger also claimed Chappelle said he would continue to make jokes about the LGBTQ community, but only do so during stand-up shows and not on TV or online.

The blogger said that the celebrated comedian should be "held accountable" for his words. He confessed that the audience thoroughly enjoyed the stand-up show, but only because they had not been paying attention to Chappelle's controversies.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Dave Chappelle decides to leave his name off of theater at his high school in order to avoid offending anyone



Comedian Dave Chappelle decided that he would leave his name off of a theater at his high school in order to avoid offending anyone after some liberal students protested against him.

Chappelle made the announcement on Monday at the naming ceremony at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, his alma mater.

Chappelle had donated money and helped raise money for the new theater for the school he says was pivotal in his development as an iconic comedian. The school responded by saying it would name the theater after Chappelle.

That honor was soured when some students at the school protested against the decision based on the controversy surrounding jokes he made that offended some in the transgender and LGBTQ communities.

Chappelle addressed those protests on Monday when he announced the decision.

“These kids didn’t understand that they were instruments of oppression," he said according to a Washington Post reporter.

“When you say I can’t say something, the more urgent is it for me to say it. It has nothing to do with what you are saying I can’t say. It has everything to do with my freedom of artistic expression," Chappelle argued.

In November, the school said that they would continue with their plan to name the theater after Chappelle and reject the attempt by some students to cancel the comedian.

We recognize that not everyone will accept or welcome a particular artist's point of view, product or craft, but reject the notion that a "cancel culture" is a healthy or constructive means to teach our students how society should balance creative freedom with protecting the rights and dignity of all its members.

On Monday, Chappelle refused to concede to the students protesting against him and said that they were just acting in support of someone else's political agenda. But he decided against putting his name on the theater.

“The idea that my name will be turned into an instrument of someone else’s perceived oppression is untenable to me," he added.

“The Ellington family is my family,” Chappelle concluded.

The theater will instead be named the Theater for Artistic Freedom and Expression.

Chappelle has given and raised millions of dollars for his high school.

Here's more about the incident:

Dave Chappelle defers Duke Ellington honorwww.youtube.com

Netflix CEO defends Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais against left-wing outrage: 'It used to be a very liberal issue'



Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos issued a strong defense of free speech while left-wing activists continued to attack his company over controversial jokes by Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais.

Sarandos made the comments during an interview with the New York Times with Maureen Dowd.

He said that he was surprised at some of the rancor but was completely supportive of Chappelle because comedians need to cross the line every once in a while.

"I think it’s very important to the American culture generally to have free expression," he explained.

Both Chappelle and Gervais have been targeted by LGBTQ activists over comments they made during their respective comedy specials on the streaming service.

“We’re programming for a lot of diverse people who have different opinions and different tastes and different styles, and yet we’re not making everything for everybody," said Sarandos. "We want something for everybody, but everything’s not going to be for everybody.”

Earlier in May the company made it clear in a memo to employees that if they were offended by comments being made during comedy specials that they should be seeking employment elsewhere.

"As employees we support the principle that Netflix offers a diversity of stories, even if we find some titles counter to our own personal values. Depending on your role, you may need to work on titles you perceive to be harmful," the memo added.

Sarandos said he was surprised that so many conservatives celebrated the company's statement of support for freedom of speech.

“It used to be a very liberal issue, so it’s an interesting time that we live in," he explained. “I always said if we censor in the US, how are we going to defend our content in the Middle East?”

He also issued another clear statement of support for Chappelle.

“It was an opportunity to take somebody, like in Dave’s case, who is, by all measure, the comedian of our generation, the most popular comedian on Netflix for sure," Sarandos concluded. "Nobody would say that what he does isn’t thoughtful or smart. You just don’t agree with him."

Here's more about the Netflix controversies:

Netflix & Ricky Gervais Face Backlash for Trans Jokes | E! Newswww.youtube.com

Caitlyn Jenner stands up for Dave Chappelle against 'woke cancel culture run amok'



Transgender activist Caitlyn Jenner has spoken out in support of comedian Dave Chappelle amid the ongoing backlash over his latest Netflix special, "The Closer."

Chappelle has been the subject of heavy criticism following his culturally and politically charged comedy special in which he said that gender is a scientific fact.

What are the details?

Jenner, who is transgender, tweeted about the Chappelle fracas on Tuesday, writing, "Dave Chappelle is 100% right. This isn't about the LGBTQ movement. It's about woke cancel culture run amok, trying to silence free speech."

"We must never yield or bow to those who wish to stop us from speaking our minds," Jenner added.

Jenner's remarks piggybacked a video of Chappelle addressing the backlash against the comedy special, in which he said that "corporate interests" were trying to stifle his creative free speech.

In the clip, Chappelle said, "I want everyone in this audience to know that even though the media frames it that it's me versus that community, that is not what it is. Do not blame the LBGTQ community for any of this s**t. This has nothing to do with them. It's about corporate interests and what I can say and what I cannot say. For the record, and I need you to know this, everyone I know from that community has been loving and supporting, so I don't know what all this nonsense is about."

Content warning: rough language

Dave Chappelle is 100% right. This isn’t about the LGBTQ movement. It’s about woke cancel culture run amok, trying… https://t.co/eggY1KaH37

— Caitlyn Jenner (@Caitlyn_Jenner) 1635273934.0

What else?

Elsewhere in the clip, Chappelle added, "It's been said in the press that I was invited to speak to the transgender employees of Netflix and I refused. That is not true — if they had invited me I would have accepted it, although I am confused about what we would be speaking about," Chappelle said in the video.

"I said what I said, and boy, I heard what you said. My God, how could I not? You said you want a safe working environment at Netflix," he continued. "Well, it seems like I'm the only one that can't go to the office any more!" '

Transgender activist who led protest against Dave Chappelle has a troubling history of racist tweets



A transgender activist received a lot of press in the media for leading the protest against Netflix over Dave Chappelle's controversial special, but she has her own history of problematic tweets.

The tweets mocking and insulting Hispanics, Asians, and others were documented at the Post Millennial.

Ashlee Marie Preston does not work at Netflix but she helped organize a walkout by employees in opposition to comments Chappelle made on "The Closer," his latest stand-up comedy special.

Preston, who is a black transgender person, fired off numerous tweets assailing Asians and Hispanics, according to the report.

"Asian hoes act like they wont get karate chopped in they muthaf**n throat. What is this hoe staring at? Mind ya beeswax #B**ch," read one tweet.

"Latino and Asian businesses need 2 stop bein ride & f*kn disrespectful, & I kno its A LOT to ask in CA but speak f*kn English 2* #yahisaidit,' read another tweet.

"Just cussed that Asian b***h clean the f**k out...u mess up my order & THEN blame me?? #englishismyfirstlanguage b***h. Never ordern again," tweeted Preston.

Preston addressed the resurfaced tweets in a statement Monday to her social media account.

"It'll take more than tweets from nearly a decade ago, that y'all already weaponized against me 2 years ago, to stop me from doing the work that'll free us ALL, today," tweeted Preston. "This is so old and I've already taken accountability for it. There's no scandal here."

The activist had previously been criticized for the racist and misogynistic tweets after she was highlighted as a surrogate for the failed 2020 presidential campaign of Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

Preston said at the time that the "racially insensitive and homophobic" tweets were a result of her addiction to methamphetamine, and apologized.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has defended the company's decision to keep Chappelle's special on its platform by saying that content doesn't lead to real world harm, a central claim to much of the outrage by transgender activists.

Here's the Reuters video report of Preston's protest:

Netflix protest about 'accountability' not 'cancel culture'www.youtube.com

Netflix fires organizer of trans employee walkout over leak of confidential data related to Dave Chappelle's special



Netflix has fired an employee for allegedly leaking confidential data pertaining to Dave Chappelle's latest stand-up comedy special. The employee was also the organizer of an upcoming employee walkout to protest Chappelle's comedy special because of accusations of "homophobia" and "transphobia."

Netflix, which is notorious for keeping viewership data close to the vest, fired an employee for reportedly leaking metrics on Chappelle's latest comedy special to the media. The "commercially sensitive information" was purportedly shared with someone outside of Netflix, and was included in a recent Bloomberg article.

The Hollywood Reporter highlighted the internal information that Netflix would not want to be made public:

In the piece, Bloomberg reported that Netflix spent $24.1 million on 'The Closer' and $23.6 million on Chappelle's 2019 special, 'Sticks & Stones.' Those numbers were in comparison to the $3.9 million the streamer spent on Bo Burnham's 'Inside' and the $21.4 million Netflix spent on the hit show 'Squid Game.' According to the internal documents reviewed by Bloomberg, Chappelle's 'Sticks & Stones' special was measured as having an 'impact value' of $19.4 million, which meant that the special cost more than the value Netflix determined it generated.

Netflix released a statement on the termination of the unnamed employee said to have leaked confidential data related to Chappelle's special.

"We have let go an employee for sharing confidential, commercially sensitive information outside the company," a Netflix spokesperson said Friday. "We understand this employee may have been motivated by disappointment and hurt with Netflix, but maintaining a culture of trust and transparency is core to our company."

The fired employee is also a "leader of the trans employee resource group who was organizing the upcoming October 20th walkout," according to The Verge.

Hundreds of employees are expected to participate in the walkout to protest the streaming giant for continuing to air "The Closer" and comments made by Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos, who defended Chappelle.

The report from The Verge highlights that the fired Netflix employee is "black and currently pregnant," but does not reveal her identity "for fear of online harassment."

"All these white people are going around talking to the press and speaking publicly on Twitter and the only person who gets fired is the Black person who was quiet the entire time," the former employee allegedly told the outlet. "That's absurd, and just further shows that Black trans people are the ones being targeted in this conversation."

Meanwhile, Netflix suspended three employees this week for crashing the company's quarterly business review. The three employees, including one who identifies as trans and spoke out against Chappelle's special, have since been reinstated.

Netflix CEO shuts down internal critics threatening walkout over Dave Chappelle: Stand-up comedy does not incite ‘real-world harm’



Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos is standing firm against internal pressure to pull stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle's latest special from the video streaming service, arguing that "content on screen doesn't directly translate to real-world harm."

What are the details?

In a pair of internal memos issued over the past week, the executive shot down critics from within and outside the company who claim that the special, titled "The Closer," should be removed for content they deem transphobic.

"You should also be aware that some talent may join third parties in asking us to remove the show in the coming days, which we are not going to do," Sarandos said in an original memo to company leadership, obtained by Variety.

"I recognize, however, that distinguishing between commentary and harm is hard, especially with stand-up comedy which exists to push boundaries. Some people find the art of stand-up to be mean-spirited but our members enjoy it, and it's an important part of our content offering," he added.

Then in a follow-up memo to all staff also obtained by Variety, he doubled down on the company's position:

With The Closer, we understand that the concern is not about offensive-to-some content but titles which could increase real world harm (such as further marginalizing already marginalized groups, hate, violence etc.) Last year, we heard similar concerns about 365 Days and violence against women. While some employees disagree, we have a strong belief that content on screen doesn't directly translate to real-world harm.

... In his special, Chappelle makes harsh jokes about many different groups, which is his style and a reason his fans love his comedy and commentary. Stand-up comedians often expose issues that are uncomfortable because the art by nature is a highly provocative. As a leadership team, we do not believe that The Closer is intended to incite hatred or violence against anyone (per our Sensitive Content guidelines).

Sarandos noted in the memo that "The Closer" is far from the first title the streaming service has hosted to contain content that may be considered offensive. He went on to list other titles such as "Sex Education," "Orange is the New Black," "Control Z," and "Hannah Gadsby" as examples of other controversial features.

What's the background?

In "The Closer" special, Chappelle, a firebrand comedian known for cutting and controversial jokes, sparked outrage by poking fun at transgender people's "thin skin" and blasting the effects of "cancel culture."

He also declared that "gender is a fact," to the ire of transgender activists, adding, "Every human being in this room, every human being on earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on earth. That is a fact."

Netflix's hosting of the show immediately drew backlash from the LGBTQ community and those supportive of the community within the company.

Some employees — including a queer transgender one — decided to show their displeasure by crashing an executive meeting in protest. They were promptly removed and later suspended.

Others have threatened to stage a companywide walkout on Oct. 20 in protest, according to The Verge.

"Trans Lives Matter. Trans Rights Matter. And as an organization, Netflix has continually failed to show deep care in our mission to Entertain the World by repeatedly releasing content that harms the Trans community and continually failing to create content that represents and uplifts Trans content. We can and must do better!" a leader of the trans ERG reportedly wrote in an internal organizing message.

Netflix suspends three employees, including a queer transgender person, for crashing executive meeting over Dave Chappelle



Netflix suspended three employees, including a person who identified as queer and transgender, for crashing an executive meeting to express their opposition to comedian Dave Chappelle's comments about transgender people.

Terra Field, the trans queer person, had also criticized the popular video streaming service in a lengthy diatribe on Twitter.

Netflix said Monday that the company suspended the employees for interrupting the executive meeting of about 500 people, and not for voicing opposition to the controversial comedy special.

"It is absolutely untrue to say that we have suspended any employees for tweeting about this show. Our employees are encouraged to disagree openly and we support their right to do so," a Netflix spokesperson told Variety.

Field claimed in the Twitter tirade that comments like those from Chappelle led directly to transgender people of color being murdered.

"What we object to is the harm that content like this does to the trans community (especially trans people of color) and VERY specifically Black trans women. People who look like me aren't being killed," tweeted Field.

Field went through a list of 38 transgender murder victims before adding, "These are the people that a callous disregard for the lives of trans people by our society have taken from us, and they all deserved better."

Despite the uproar from some on the left, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos defended the special.

"Chapelle is one of the most popular stand-up comedians today, and we have a long standing deal with him. His last special 'Sticks & Stones,' also controversial, is our most watched, stickiest and most award-winning stand-up special to date," Sarandos wrote in a memo obtained by Variety.

"As with our other talent, we work hard to support their creative freedom — even though this means there will always be content on Netflix some people believe is harmful," he added.

Here's more about the Chappelle comedy special:

Dave Defends Women: Chappelle Says Gender Is a Fact! | You Are Herewww.youtube.com

Dave Chappelle mocks attempts to cancel him for 'transphobic' comments, blasts mainstream media: 'F*** NBC News, ABC News, all these stupid a** networks'



Dave Chappelle has been embroiled in controversy this week because of comments deemed to be "transphobic" in his latest comedy special. The legendary stand-up comedian mocked cancel culture, fired back at the critics who attacked him, and blasted the mainstream media that wrote hit pieces on him.

Chappelle performed a stand-up comedy show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California, where several celebrities were in attendance, including Brad Pitt, Stevie Wonder, Jon Hamm, Snoop Dogg, and Lizzo. Chappelle received a standing ovation from the crowd of 18,000, and he jokingly responded, "If this is what being canceled is about, I love it."

Chappelle – who was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2019 – hammed the mainstream media, "F*** Twitter, F*** NBC News, ABC News, all these stupid ass networks. I'm not talking to them. I'm talking to you, this is real life."

NBC News was lambasted for a hit piece on Chappelle's new Netflix stand-up special "The Closer." "NBC News reported that Chappelle 'drew a swift backlash,' but then cited only three Twitter users; one who identified as a 'trans woman' activist with roughly 1,000 Twitter followers, another with only 200 followers and a third was another activist with roughly 43,000 followers," according to Fox News.

Chappelle was attacked by critics for saying that gender is real, admitting that he is a "TERF" (the acronym for trans-exclusionary radical feminist), and accusations of "ridiculing trans people" during his latest stand-up special.

GLAAD rebuked Chappelle's comments about LGBTQ individuals.

"Dave Chappelle's brand has become synonymous with ridiculing trans people and other marginalized communities," the LGBTQ organization said in a statement. "Negative reviews and viewers loudly condemning his latest special is a message to the industry that audiences don't support platforming anti-LGBTQ diatribes. We agree."

"The Closer" has a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The National Black Justice Coalition's executive director David Johns demanded that Netflix yank the highly-rated comedy special, "Netflix should immediately pull 'The Closer' from its platform and directly apologize to the transgender community."

Trans Netflix producer Jaclyn Moore slammed the streaming network for allowing the comedy special to air.

"I want to be clear that Dave Chappelle should be free to say whatever he wants and I should be free to say whatever I would like about him," said Moore, the executive producer and showrunner of the Netflix series "Dear White People." "Not to let Chappelle off the hook, but my bigger issue is with Netflix. This isn't a live special. It was filmed, finished and people watched it and nobody said, 'Hey, are we sure this is good? Are we sure this is OK? Are we sure this isn't dangerous? What are the consequences of putting this out?'"

Moore also said she would stop working with Netflix "as long as they continue to put out and profit from blatantly and dangerously transphobic content."

"The Closer" is currently the third most popular show or movie on Netflix.