Overview
- Dave Chappelle, in an NPR Newsmakers interview released Wednesday, said Republicans did a “weaponized” version of his jokes about transgender people.
- He pointed to a 2023 Capitol Hill selfie with Rep. Lauren Boebert that she captioned with “only two genders,” saying she politicized his image and that he “lit her up” onstage afterward.
- Chappelle criticized coverage of his routines as media “rage bait,” arguing reporters treated his stand-up as something other than a comedy show.
- He said his material is not meant to harm, even as The Closer and The Dreamer drew protests, a Netflix employee walkout, and some canceled or moved shows.
- He defended performing in Riyadh, saying critics called the money “dirty” despite U.S. companies and studios doing business with Saudi Arabia.