Michelle Buteau criticizes Dave Chappelle’s trans jokes in Netflix Special
Michelle Buteau lambasted Dave Chappelle and his controversial jokes about the transgender community in her new comedy special “Michelle Buteau: A Buteau-ful Mind at Radio City Music Hall,” which debuted on Netflix on Tuesday.
Buteau began criticizing Chappelle after she told a story about her “black lesbian friend.” She noted that the topic provoked a range of reactions from the audience, with some laughing and others uncomfortable, but stressed that comedians must be able to “tell jokes and stories and not discredit an entire community.”
“We can do that. We can make it funny,” Buteau said. “We just have to work on it, right? So if you ever see Dave Chappelle, can you let him know? I don’t think he knows that nonsense.”
Buteau then humorously referred to Chappelle as “the GOAT,” an acronym that commonly means “the greatest of all time.” But Buteau said in Chappelle’s case, “GOAT” means “going after transgender people.”
“I can’t believe anyone would make millions and millions of dollars by making people feel unsafe. I think that’s really so wild,” Buteau continued. “I’m manifesting this shit tonight. This is a takeover of Radio City Music Hall and I’m going to tell everyone that I want to make millions and millions of dollars making people feel safe, seen, secure, heard and entertained.
Chappelle, who has never shied away from sharp humor, came under fire in 2021 after targeting the trans community in his Netflix special “The Closer.” Despite the heavy backlash, Chappelle doubled down on his follow-up special, “The Dreamer,” refusing to pause the jokes.
