Dave Chappelle’s Minneapolis Stand-Up Venue Drops Him Due To Criticism Of Trans Comments

Dave Chappelle’s Minneapolis stand-up set has changed venues after his original host, venue First Avenue, received backlash from online critics and reportedly their own staff when they announced he would be performing there earlier this week.

Chappelle has taken a turn into transphobia with his recent Netflix special and he only doubled down on his decision to make those harmful jokes after they elicited criticism.

Their apology was directed to “staff, artists, and our community,” and also mentioned, “We are not just a black box with people in it, and we understand that First Ave is not just ar room, but meaningful beyond our walls.”

“We believe in diverse voices and the freedom of artistic expression, but in honoring that, we lost sight of the impact this would have,” the venue also stated. One local reporter for NPR spoke with staffers who she said were “upset” by Chappelle’s booking and planned to call in sick if he were to perform.

Chappelle has performed at First Avenue in the past, and it is already well known for featuring in the 1984 Prince film Purple Rain.

Chappelle’s transphobic comments from The Closer included calling himself “team TERF” and saying “the only reason transgender politics are a topic is because white men want to do it.” Around 100 Netflix employees walked out in protest of the special in late October, and one engineer resigned.

While his jokes did certainly cause a backlash, other fans just didn’t care and Netflix has not budged in its support of him. The streamer even recently released a bizarre speech Chappelle gave at his old high school, calling students who criticized him “instruments of oppression.”