Dave Chappelle Is Not a Transphobe

Dave Chappelle holds a distinction nearly unique among comics: Whenever he drops a special, it’s news. His latest Netflix offering, The Closer, immediately got him accused of “pointless transphobia and homophobia” (The Daily Beast), “Betrayal” (GQ) and “anti-LGBTQ diatribes” (GLAAD).

The Closer is not one of Chappelle’s best efforts — he has done nine of these specials, including six for Netflix, and the new one is probably the least effective among them — but in its compassion it’s the opposite of transphobic. Chappelle exhibits a lot of humanity, a lot of humility, and a lot of self-questioning as he does his best to grapple with the question of how to be respectful of transgendered people while acknowledging that in comedy, nothing should be ruled off-limits, particularly if your brand of standup is saying the unsayable. Chappelle insists on the right to continue to tell the truth as he sees it, but he isn’t interested in antagonism for its own sake. What he’s doing isn’t trolling. He genuinely doesn’t want to hurt people. He goes out of his way to clarify how important he thinks it is to be sensitive to trans folks. Saying there can be humor in transgenderism is just saying, “Welcome to humanity. Everybody’s funny.”

About the Author

Kyle Smith

Kyle Smith is the film critic for the Wall Street Journal.

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Dave Chappelle holds a distinction nearly unique among comics: Whenever he drops a special, it’s news. His latest Netflix offering, The Closer, immediately got him accused of “pointless transphobia and homophobia” (The Daily Beast), “Betrayal” (GQ) and “anti-LGBTQ diatribes” (GLAAD).

The Closer is not one of Chappelle’s best efforts — he has done nine of these specials, including six for Netflix, and the new one is probably the least effective among them — but in its compassion it’s the opposite of transphobic. Chappelle exhibits a lot of humanity, a lot of humility, and a lot of self-questioning as he does his best to grapple with the question of how to be respectful of transgendered people while acknowledging that in comedy, nothing should be ruled off-limits, particularly if your brand of standup is saying the unsayable. Chappelle insists on the right to continue to tell the truth as he sees it, but he isn’t interested in antagonism for its own sake. What he’s doing isn’t trolling. He genuinely doesn’t want to hurt people. He goes out of his way to clarify how important he thinks it is to be sensitive to trans folks. Saying there can be humor in transgenderism is just saying, “Welcome to humanity. Everybody’s funny.”