Comedian Dave Chappelle is once again telling transgender jokes in a new comedy special, this time defending Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling after claiming she was “canceled” for similar remarks.
Chappelle has a long-standing reputation for turning typically serious matters such as politics or the COVID-19 pandemic into comedic material. During his most recent Netflix special The Closer, Chappelle likens himself to Rowling regarding a 2019 controversy when she identified herself as a “TERF,” or “trans-exclusionary radical feminist.”
The comedian tells the crowd during the special he is “team TERF” after defending Rowling, who was criticized and even received death threats from some LGBT activists when she tweeted, “Dress however you please … But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real?” on Dec. 19, 2019.
“Gender is a fact,” Chappelle says , according to a Daily Beast report of his sixth special on the streaming platform. “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. Now, I am not saying that to say trans women aren’t women, I am just saying that those p*****s that they got … you know what I mean? I’m not saying it’s not p***y, but it’s Beyond P***y or Impossible P***y.”
The comedian later addresses any possible criticism he might receive, saying in a tongue-in-cheek joke, “Any of you who have ever watched me know that I have never had a problem with transgender people. If you listen to what I’m saying, clearly, my problem has always been with white people.”
Some prominent media pieces, such as a 2019 article from Buzzfeed, opined that the comedian could “strive to be more thoughtful” in regards to Chappelle’s past transgender jokes.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg once scolded Chappelle’s humor on the transgender subject, saying his 2019 special Sticks and Stones might contain jokes that could hurt people.
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