Comedian and “Babes” actress Michelle Buteau has spoken out against Dave Chappelle’s controversial comments about transgender people during her recent Netflix comedy special.
Chappelle faced backlash in 2021 for remarks considered transphobic in his Netflix special “The Closer.” He later addressed the controversy at a comedy show in Nashville after the special aired.
Additionally, Chappelle received criticism in 2019 for jokes about Caitlyn Jenner in his “Equanimity” special and again in 2020 after making jokes about the trans community in his “Sticks and Stones” special.
Buteau called Chappelle’s comments “dangerous” and used her performance at New York’s Radio City Music Hall to highlight how humor can be inclusive and harmless.
During her set, Buteau shared a story about her “beautiful, Black lesbian friend” and then reflected on the joke with her audience. “For the most part, we laughed,” she recalled.
“What I’m saying is it can be done. We can tell jokes and stories and not disparage a whole community,” she added, receiving applause and cheers. “We can do that, we can make it funny. You just have to work at it, right? So if you guys ever run into Dave Chappelle, can you let him know that s–?”
Buteau went on to say that she doesn’t expect to encounter Chappelle “because he is the GOAT.” She added, “And he is the GOAT, if that means going off about trans people. Dave, it’s not funny. It’s dangerous. I can’t believe somebody would make millions and millions of dollars for making people feel unsafe. That is so wild to me.”
With continued support from the crowd, Buteau concluded, “I want to make millions and millions of dollars for making people feel safe, seen, secure, heard, and entertained!”
