Dave Chappelle Says He Resents How The Republican Party ‘Weaponized’ His Transgender Jokes: That’s Not What I Was Doing’

Dave Chappelle

Dave Chappelle Says He Resents How The Republican Party ‘Weaponized’ His
Transgender Jokes: That’s Not What I Was Doing’

#DaveChappelle is pushing back on how his transgender jokes have been used in politics, calling out the Republican Party for what he sees as a misrepresentation of his comedy.

During a recent appearance on NPR’s Newsmakers, the comedian said he felt the GOP used his material to advance its own agenda. Giving an example, he recalled, “Before I learned the phrase, ‘I respectfully decline,’ I was on Capitol Hill, and everybody ran up to take pictures with me from every congressional office. And I just take pictures with whoever asked. I didn’t ask how they vote or what their voting record is.”

Dave continued, saying conservative activist and politician Lauren Boebert later posted the image she took with him and captioned it, “Just two people that know that it’s just two genders.” Dave said he felt she “weaponized or politicized” the moment, adding, “I lit her a** up for doing that. And she should never do that to a person like me.”

If you recall, Dave faced backlash in 2021 over his #Netflix special The Closer, which featured jokes widely criticized as transphobic. In a follow-up special, The Dreamer, he appeared to double down on the trans jokes. However, he clarified in the interview that his intentions were not aligned with how the GOP used his material, saying, “I did resent that the Republican Party ran on transgender jokes. You know, I felt like they were doing a weaponized version of what I was doing. That’s not what I was doing.”