Dave Chappelle says he “resents” that members of the Republican Party used his jokes about transgender people to further their anti-LGBTQ agendas.
Chappelle, who recently sat down for an interview with NPR Newsmakers host Michel Martin, insisted there’s a difference between his comedy and the rhetoric of politicians like President Donald Trump who have embraced vulgar speech and attacks on identity.
He shared an example of a time that he was on Capitol Hill, and members of Congress asked to take photos with him. Shortly after, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) then shared a photo of herself and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) with Chappelle on X.
"Just three people who understand that there's only two genders,” Boebert’s caption said.
“I did resent that the Republican Party ran on transgender jokes,” Chappelle told Martin around the 28-minute mark in the video above. “I felt like they were doing a weaponized version of what I was doing, and that’s not what I was doing.”
He added that Boebert "instantly, like, weaponized or politicized” his jokes about transgender people.
“I lit her ass up,” Chappelle said. “You do whatever it is you do, but get me out of the splash zone.”
Chappelle came under fire in 2021 after his Netflix special, The Closer, included jokes about transgender people. In one line, he said that trans women would never be real women. He also said he agreed with J.K. Rowling and called himself “Team TERF.”
He addressed the backlash in his next comedy special, The Dreamer, in 2023, while throwing in more transphobic jokes.
“Now if you guys came here to this show tonight thinking that I’m gonna make fun of those people again, you’ve come to the wrong show. I’m not fucking with those people anymore. It wasn’t worth the trouble,” Chapelle said. “I ain’t saying shit about trans people. Maybe three or four times tonight, but that is it. Tired of talking about them.”
