Source: Variety / Getty
Dave Chappelle has turned off some of the folks who championed him for his previous “jokes” about the T in the LGBTQ community.
According to TMZ, the comedian was doing a set in Boston when he journeyed into the most fraught topic in the world right now, the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Cell phones were confiscated prior to his performance so there is no video or audio of what was said but people in attendance relayed the gist of the jokes to The Wall Street Journal.
Chappelle began by saying that the college students who are protesting shouldn’t be subject to punishment or lose job offers. He then proceeded to condemn Hamas for the killing of innocent Israeli civilians but noted that Israel’s response has been disproportionate. Chappelle explicitly said that the Israeli government was guilty of war crimes due to their wanton bombing policy. He didn’t spare the United States any sharp critique either as he accused the red, white, and blue of aiding Israel in their targeting and “the slaughter of innocent civilians.”
Reportedly, people began to not only walk out of the show but also vocally challenged Chappelle from the audience. It’s safe to surmise that some of these hit dogs who were hollering were some of the same folks who previously loved the comedian’s bits about transgender folks. Apparently, things got so heated that someone told him essentially to “shut up and dribble” and that didn’t go over well with Mr. Chappelle. Word is that Dave snapped on the heckler with some very pointed words.
The raucous crowd was divided with some yelling “Free Palestine!”. WSJ says that Chappelle communicated that cutting off water and electricity to Gaza is cruel and that “two wrongs don’t make a right”.
