Dave Chappelle unleashed his latest Netflix special, The Dreamer, on Sunday and no one was safe.
The comedian brushed aside any concerns about causing more controversy and targeted Will Smith, Jussie Smollett, the disabled, and the transgender community.
Despite sparking anger with his 2021 special, The Closer, and triggering a Netflix walkout with his commentary about trans individuals, Chappelle returned to familiar territory in his New Year’s Eve special, and joked about the LGBTQ community once again.
Related Story: Dave Chappelle Attack Suspect Speaks Out From Jail: I Was ‘Triggered’ by His Jokes
In one joke, the comedian looked back on meeting his comedy idol Jim Carrey on the set of the 1999 film Man on the Moon. Chappelle said Carrey stayed in character as late entertainer Andy Kaufman throughout their meeting, prompting Chappelle to compare Carrey’s impersonation to a transgender person.
“I was very disappointed because I wanted to meet Jim Carrey and I had to pretend this ni–er was Andy Kaufman, all afternoon. It was clearly Jim Carrey, I could look at him and I can see he was Jim Carrey. Anyway, I say all that to say that’s how trans people make me feel,” Chappelle said to laughter.
“Here we go!” he quipped.
“Now if you guys came here to this show tonight, thinking I’m gonna make fun of those people again, you’ve come to the wrong show. I’m not f–ing with those people anymore. It wasn’t worth the trouble,” he joked. “I ain’t saying s–t about trans people, well, maybe three or four times tonight, that is it. I’m tired of talking about them.”
Disabled Jokes:
In another part of the special, Chappelle imitated a disabled person, then focused on former North Carolina Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn — who is paraplegic — and in 2022 said he was invited to sex parties in Washington, D.C.
“He’s no longer a congressman. I don’t know if you follow politics,” Chappelle said about Cawthorn. “I’m not trying to be funny, but he lost his seat. He ran a bad race.”
The comedian’s joke about Cawthorn losing a seat drew laughter from the audience.
“He was running for Congress again, and this motherf—r tried to be controversial. He was on all the right-wing podcasts, talking all that s–t. He was like, ‘Washington is worse now than Hollywood.'”
Chappelle said he didn’t believe the politician, joking: “I was like, ‘What?’ He said, ‘These people are disgusting. They have orgies, sex parties, and drug parties.'”
Related Story: Chris Rock Targets Will Smith in ‘Selective Outrage’ Special
He compared Cawthorn to Jussie Smollett, who was found guilty of staging a hate crime — and denying it.
“I was like, this ni—r sounds like juicy smoliet,” Chappelle said. “He’s lying. Now, I don’t doubt that they do this kind of s–t in Washington. But I doubt he’s seen it with his own eyes, because who the f–k invites a paraplegic to an orgy, so this ni—r can roll around and snitch on everybody.”
Chappelle then said, “I love punching down!”
Oscars Slap:
Chappelle turned his attention to Will Smith for slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, and seemingly compared Smith to a terrorist.
“Chris was involved in what we Blacks might even consider a damn 9/11. Chris got slapped in the face at the Oscars by Will Smith, which was one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen.”
Chappelle noted that Rock is a good friend. He then riffed on Rock’s March Netflix special Selective Outrage, which was filmed in Baltimore.
“Chris said, ‘I refuse to be a victim.’ I was like, ‘Ni–r, look at the tape!'”
Although he ultimately praised Rock for keeping his composure after being slapped on live TV.
Hollywood Bowl Attack:
Chappelle also spent time talking about being attacked during a live performance in May 2022 at the Hollywood Bowl, by a homeless man with a replica handgun that had a retractable knife blade attached.
“This ni–er had a knife that identified as a gun,” Chappelle quipped. “They said, I triggered him because I had done LBGTQ jokes, and it turns out this fella was a ‘B’ … bisexual.”
The man who attacked Chappelle eventually pleaded no contest, and was sentenced to 270 days in county jail.
Dave Chappelle: The Dreamer was filmed in the comedian’s hometown of Washington, D.C. at the Lincoln Theatre.
Chappelle said 24 years ago he did a stand-up show at the historic venue and didn’t come close to filling it.
“What a difference 24 short years makes,” he told the packed audience.
