Dave Chappelle, Once Again, Drives Public Debate
Dave Chappelle on stage performing his act for “The Closer:” his highly controversial Netflix special. Source: Mathieu Bitton/Netflix
On October 6th, Netflix released “Dave Chappelle: The Closer,” a comedy special that garnered mixed reviews due to its controversial comments regarding the transgender community. In response to the special, a group of Netflix employees staged a walkout and released a list of demands, and transgender writer Jaclyn Moore said she would no longer be working with Netflix. Many in the transgender community and their allies also criticized Chappelle for advancing “transphobic and anti-scientific” views. Their main concern was that these views would continue to perpetuate violence against the transgender community, which accounted for 72% of all hate crimes that resulted in homicide against LGBTQIA+ and HIV-infected people. Along with this characterization of his views as an instigator of violence, other sources, like Vox, have built off those claims to further describe Chappelle’s statements as “promoting bigotry and amplifying gender essentialism.” In a societal environment where prejudicial views are poisonous to most careers, seen in recent examples of Jon Gruden, former Raiders coach who stepped down after his prejudicial emails surfaced, and Curt Schilling, who ESPN fired in 2016 after sharing a series of critical posts of transgender people on his social media, such characterizations constitute an attempt to ostracize Chappelle’s views and thus cancel him. It is also important to note that Vox also addressed some of Chappelle’s points, such as disputing his contention that “gender is a fact” and, as they put it, his belief that “gay and trans communities consist only of white people.”
This is not the first time Chappelle has made controversial statements regarding the LGBTQIA+ community. In his 2019 special Sticks and Stones, he acknowledged that the LGBTQIA+ community — who he referred to as "the alphabet people '' — did not like him. Accordingly, this is not the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies’ first attempt to cancel him. Yet, given his long-standing relationship with Netflix, which paid him $24.1 million for “The Closer,” Chappelle has mainly gone unscathed. For example, in this latest instance, in a video posted to his Instagram, Chappelle said that he is “not bending to anybody’s demands.” Netflix is also refusing to take down the special, citing “creative freedom.” This resilience stands in contrast to other celebrities who, like Chappelle, made controversial statements but, unlike Chappelle, were canceled. Two examples, as mentioned above, of these sorts of canceled figures include Jon Gruden and Curt Schilling.
This contrast highlights an essential dynamic in cancel culture and prominent public figures' role in public discourse. Unlike Gruden and Schilling, Chappelle, one of the most successful comedians of all time, is not an employee of any company and has enough independent popularity and resources to weather the storm that comes with a cancellation attempt. This means that unless he commits a nasty crime, like Louis C.K., he is essentially not cancelable. So, on top of a celebrity’s usual amplification of their voice, Chappelle and other highly prominent societal figures like him can also broach topics that are traditionally off-limits, as they have little fear of the canceling that usually comes with their discussion. Hence, by discussing these sensitive topics and transcending debate-crushing cancel culture, figures in these positions lead and engender public debate that forces conceptions that possibly were established by threats of retribution to enter the marketplace of ideas to prove their worth.
This amplified power of speech is what Chappelle utilized in “The Closer.” Responding to the suicide of his transgender friend Daphne Dorman and the swift success of the trans-community, Chappelle questioned to what degree the current leading notions and people in the trans-community are both helpful to its members and propped up in their position due to their whiteness. These are highly sensitive topics that strike at the legitimacy of the current ruling ideas and figures in the transgender community. Yet, more marginalized or resource-poor individuals with these concerns could not have brought them up for fear of retribution and lack of means. However, as a prominent societal figure, Chappelle can pierce these topics and force those in the media and movement to address his points because they cannot rely on canceling him to suppress his ideas. Consequently, one sees articles from major publications like Vox, which, as shown in the first paragraph, still attempts to shame Chappelle into ostracization but also takes the time to address his main points, giving life to the debate concerning Chappelle’s points.
Through figures like Chappelle, unable to be canceled, challenges traditionally labeled as prejudicial can break through the debate-stifling cancel culture barrier and push ideas propped up by this coercive culture to show their worth. It remains to be seen how Chappelle’s statements will affect the black and transgender communities' issues with violent targeting and progress towards social acceptance. Chappelle, however, has contributed to the further decline of cancel culture by overcoming its worst attacks. In doing so, he has started to invite into these discussions those who would typically be canceled for their participation, weakening cancel culture’s grip over public discourse concerning certain topics.