Comedian Dave Chappelle has gone back on the road in an 11 date city tour across the country following the controversy over his latest Netflix comedy special which some have branded as transphobic.
On Thursday night, Chapelle kicked off a sold out, in-person screening of his Untitled documentary at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
'It's been a hell of a few weeks,' Chappelle said on stage following the screening to 18,000 fans who packed the arena.
In recent weeks, the comedian has faced calls for him to be cancelled following jokes made in a stand-up special which is entirely separate to the screening.
But Chappelle appeared to dismiss the scale of the controversy by saying that it was only happening 'in a corner of the world that just happens to control the media,'
'Man, I love being canceled. It's a huge relief!' he joked.
He explained that he was able to ignore the controversy in part because 'I'm rich and famous,' he explained. 'When you're in the eye of the storm, it all just swirls around you.'
'It's been a hell of a three weeks,' Chappelle said on stage following the screening to the 18,000 fans gathered at the arena. Pictured, in an Instagram video from last month
Comedian Dave Chappelle, 48, together with Netflix has faced backlash from the LGBTQ community for remarks made in his latest special
Chappelle courted controversy with his jokes in which he asserts 'gender is a fact,' and criticizes what he says is the thin skin of the trans community.
The jokes were based upon earlier observations made by Harry Potter author J K Rowling's who in 2019 stated that transgender women were not actually women and were a threat to her identity.
Chappelle appeared to dismiss the scale of the controversy he was embroiled in by saying that it was only happening 'in a corner of the world that just happens to control the media'
According to his website the documentary is 'Fueled by the murder of George Floyd, shut-in by the closures of business due to the pandemic and provides economic and comic relief.'
Last week, Chappelle addressed the backlash for the first time remaining unapologetic.
In a video posted to social media video, Chappelle revealed how he had been uninvited by film festivals while distributors have also backed out of picking up his documentary.
It is part of the reason why he has decided to head out on the road to screen the film to audiences himself.
Chappelle said that the Untitled documentary, about the comedian's efforts to hold stand-up shows in a neighbor's cornfield in Ohio during the pandemic, had been invited to 'every film festival in the United States.'
In the wake of The Closer controversy, however, 'they began disinviting me from these film festivals and now, today, not a film company, not a movie studio, not a film festival, not nobody will touch this film.'
Chappelle spoke in a five minute video he posted on his Instagram in what was the first time he publicly spoke out since the Netflix special aired during a stand-up appearance in front of a supportive crowd.
Netflix's co-CEOs Reed Hastings (left) and Sarandos (right) have both defended the special. Hastings said the decision to stream The Closer was 'on the right side of history' while Sararndos insisted 'that content on screen doesn't directly translate to real-world harm'
Netflix has continued to stand by Chappelle and his comedy special, which was released on the streaming platform October 5
He added, 'Thank god for Ted Sarandos at Netflix, he's the only one who didn't cancel me yet.'
Sarandos, the co-chief executive at the streaming service, has defended the special and told staff in an email that 'content on screen doesn't translate to real-world harm,' but later backed down and apologized for that email.
Chappelle, 48, defended the special in the Instagram video and claimed that the controversy isn't about the LGBTQ community. 'Do not blame the LGBTQ community for any of this s**t. That has nothing to do with this,' he said. 'It's about corporate interest and what I can say and I cannot say.'
Chappelle's documentary, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar, features stand-up shows he held in his neighbor's spacious Ohio cornfield during through the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns. 'The best comedians on Earth came to my home and broke bread with me and we lived our ways, we found a way to keep moving forward,' he said.
On the first night of such shows, in May 2020, he spoke in depth about the killing of George Floyd by police. 'I desperately want people to see this movie,' he said. 'But I understand why investors would be nervous.'
Such nervousness is the reason by Chappelle has decided to air the film on his own in ten other American cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Indianapolis between now and November 22. 'You will be able to see this movie in its entirety and you can see what they're trying to obstruct you from seeing and you can
