Dave Chappelle is clearly a brilliant storyteller. The comedian can weave a narrative that holds your attention and drop a punch line at just the right moment. He claims to be an equal-opportunity offender. But it turns out he is afraid to offend the leftists who don’t stand up to antisemitism in Hollywood, on college campuses, or in Democratic politics.
Chappelle has had very little to say in support of innocent Jews and Israelis while using his platform throughout the years to support Palestinian independence. Considering he’s also comfortable taking Saudi money and says the kingdom supports free speech better than the United States, we have to question his biases. Despite his cracks at transgenderism, his jokes are not as edgy as he thinks. He is really just preaching to the liberal choir.
After the rapper Ye devolved from a new Christian conservative to an antisemite, Chappelle mentioned during his 2022 Saturday Night Live monologue that “no good thing” is said after someone says the two words “the” and “Jews” back to back. And yet, he did not differentiate from Ye’s rantings about Jews controlling the weather, banks, and entertainment when he added, “I’ve been to Hollywood — it’s a lot of Jews. Like, a lot.”
After the deadly Southern California fires in January, Chappelle hosted SNL again. He discussed former President Jimmy Carter’s visit to the Palestinian territory and how heartwarming that was to him as he implored the audience to have a “heart for displaced people, whether the Palisades or Palestine.” In case you are wondering, no, he did not release a statement after Oct. 7, 2023, nor has he mentioned the rapes and murders of innocent Israelis.
In his latest special, The Unstoppable…, the antisemitism and misinformation are strong. Chappelle defended his performance at the Saudi comedy festival, quipping, “The trans jokes went over very well.” The remarks seemed to blame the backlash to his jokes on all Americans, while refusing to recognize that the vast majority of us either agreed with, laughed at, or didn’t care about them. The radical leftists and legacy media outlets such as NPR were the ones who posted, wrote, and complained about it.
That’s not the only time in his special that he places blame on the wrong side. In defense of the Saudis, he argues that they had only killed one journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. He continues, “I mean, Israel’s killed 240 journalists … I didn’t know y’all were still counting.” What he blatantly ignores are valid reports that over 60% of those “journalists” were directly tied to terrorist groups, including Hamas.
Chappelle also says “f*** that guy” about comedian Bill Maher for his criticisms of him and other comedians who performed for a dictatorial regime. He finishes off that bit saying of Maher, “I’m so f***ing tired of his little smug, cracker-ass commentary.”
Chappelle seems to be tired of getting heat based on his stand-up or his business decisions, but he will gladly spread misinformation and spew invectives toward those he does not like. In the words of my late grandmother, he can dish it, but he can’t take it.
DAVE CHAPPELLE BRAVELY CRITICIZES AMERICAN CENSORSHIP TO A SAUDI AUDIENCE
Toward the end of the special, the comedian laments, “My voice has become more powerful than I intended it to be.” If his voice is too powerful, why does he keep talking? He has a right to, but to get hurt over the reaction his voice has is a major fault. It seems that the comedian is now upset that his voice is being responded to by a host of people who disagree with him, and it is that pushback that he dislikes.
Chappelle wants to wade into political, international, and religious commentary, but he does not want you to react to it unless it’s by buying a ticket to a show, watching his special in compliant silence, or offering a chuckle or a smattering of applause. If any of us have the power, wealth, and voice of Chappelle, may we not lament it, but use it for good. It’s not too late for him to do just that.
Elisha Krauss is a conservative commentator and speaker who resides in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and their four children. She is an advocate of women’s rights, school choice, and smaller government.