Dave Chappelle Criticized for Bringing Out a Disgraced Comedian at Recent Comedy Show
Though much of the world remains on pause due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Dave Chappelle has been keeping busy. Not only did he release the Netflix special 8:46 earlier in the summer of 2020, but the Sticks & Stones artist has continued to put on intimate, socially-distanced shows around the United States.
One of his latest shows made headlines due to Chappelle bringing out disgraced comedian Louis C.K. Taking to social media, many fans expressed outrage due to C.K.’s past controversies and slammed Chappelle for inviting him on.
Louis C.K. appeared at one of Dave Chappelle’s comedy shows
During the week of Aug. 2, photographer Mathieu Bitton posted an Instagram photo of Chappelle and C.K. on stage alongside Michelle Wolf, Mo Amer, and others. According to Entertainment Weekly, the photo was taken at a show in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where Chappelle lives with his wife Elaine and their three children.
“Tonight’s surprise guest in the cornfield: Louis CK,” Bitton wrote in the caption before sharing another photo of the men alongside other famous faces such as Sarah Silverman, Tiffany Haddish, Common, and Jaleel White.
As Entertainment Weekly notes, it is unclear if C.K. actually took the stage to perform or if he was simply a guest. As of writing, he has not publicly commented on his appearance.
Fans are angry at Dave Chappelle for inviting Louis C.K. to his show
Fans were shocked to see C.K. at the showcase, given the allegations against him.
After years of rumors about how inappropriate he could allegedly be, five women came forward in a 2017 interview with The New York Times and accused the star of sexual misconduct. Four of them claimed C.K. had masturbated in front of them and another said he’d tried, sparking widespread backlash and leading to him losing projects.
Amid the fallout, C.K. admitted the allegations were true and said he would be stepping away from the spotlight to “take a long time to listen.”
He’s kept a low-profile in the days since, only popping up in a public a few times and hosting small events. Seeing him at the show with Chappelle came as a huge to fans and led to them dragging the Half Baked actor.
“Honestly, f*ck Louis CK and f*ck Dave Chappelle for pardoning him,” one person wrote on Twitter as another person declared, “@DaveChappelle should be ashamed bringing CK Lewis with him on stage. #BoycottChappelle until these a**holes take us seriously.”
But Chappelle’s apparent invitation to C.K. shouldn’t come as a shock. As noted by Entertainment Weekly, Chappelle has described C.K. as a friend and even came to his defense in his 2019 standup special Sticks & Stones.
“Louis C.K. was a very good friend of mine before he died in that terrible masturbation accident…” Chappelle said. “He didn’t do anything you can call the police for. I dare you to try. … They ruined this n****s life, and now he’s coming back playing comedy clubs and they’re acting like if he’s able to do that that’s going to hurt women. What the f*** is your agenda, ladies?”
It’s not the first time Dave Chappelle has faced criticism for a show
Chappelle also faced criticism in March when he donated proceeds from a show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to the families of victims killed in a local mass shooting.
Due to rumors that the gunman had snapped after allegedly facing racism from some of the victims (which law enforcement pushed back on) fans strongly criticized Chappelle on social media.
As usual, the Chappelle’s Show star did not respond to the backlash. He has said in the past that he typically doesn’t see his controversies unless his wife tells him about them.
