Following the weeks-long controversy surrounding Dave Chappelle’s “The Closer” Netflix special, the comedian says he’s ready to meet with members of the trans community, under certain conditions that include that those who participate must watch his special in full.
“To the transgender community, I am more than willing to give you an audience, but you will not summon me,” he said in an Instagram video posted Monday. “I am not bending to anyone’s demands.”
“And if you want to meet with me, I am more than willing to, but I have some conditions,” he continued. “First of all, you cannot come if you have not watched my special from beginning to end. You must come to a place of my choosing at a time of my choosing, and thirdly, you must admit that Hannah Gadsby is not funny.”
Gadsby was one of the many stars who, like GLAAD and the National Black Justice Coalition, slammed the comedian for remarks he made in The Closer.
“I want everyone in this audience to know that even though the media frames it that it’s me versus that community, that’s not what it is,” Chappelle continued in today’s clip, shared to 2.3 million followers with comments turned off. “Do not blame the LGBTQ community for any of this. 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 supportive, so I don’t know what this nonsense is about.”
See the full clip below:
