Source: Paras Griffin / Getty
Dave Chappelle continues to stand in stark defiance of the critique raised after his latest Netflix stand-up special The Closer went wide. After being told he was no longer welcome, the Washington, D.C. native returned to his hometown to visit his alma mater and was met with jeers and tough questions from the student body.
POLITICO provided a detailed account of Chappelle’s surprise visit to the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, with the famed comedian hosting an hourlong Q&A session on Tuesday (Nov. 23) that found him being called a “bigot” by one student and complaints of his visit from some of the parents of the students.
In response to the 16-year-old student who called him a bigot and reportedly said that Chappelle handled the situation “like a child,” the comedian reportedly fired back saying, “My friend, with all due respect, I don’t believe you could make one of the decisions I have to make on a given day.”
Chappelle’s spokesperson said of the uproar regarding his visit is offset by his donations to the school and elevating its presence nationwide.
“They are complaining that he talked and said the n-word. If anything, Dave is putting the school on the map,” the spokesperson said.
It wasn’t all malice and ill intent as Chappelle willingly took on the questions from around eight students, and was accompanied by a camera crew for the event. Hearing of death threats levied upon members of the school, Chappelle reportedly said, “This is my family, and whether they know it or not I love these kids. I don’t want to hear about any threats to these kids. These kids don’t deserve that.”
Chappelle then gave out tickets to the screening of his Untiled documentary at the Capital One Arena and vacated the premises.
On Twitter, reaction to Dave Chappelle visiting his old high school cropped up and we’ve got the reactions below.
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Photo: Getty
1.
defiant dave chappelle to high school student: ‘i am more successful than a high school student’
— man it’s a hot zone, (@Mobute) November 26, 2021
2.
Dave Chappelle goes on a lot of “I’m unbothered” “I don’t care” rants for a man who claims to be unbothered & doesn’t care.
— Bella Goth (@HotCommieGal) November 26, 2021
3.
Dave Chappelle right now: pic.twitter.com/NfanqfX3RU
— A Humbug Woolooo (@MockWooloo) November 25, 2021
4.
dave chappelle really walked into an auditorium full of the greatest comedians of our time (aka the teens) and thought he was safe. the hubris of this man
— f.k.a. ottergawd (@charlesxholmes) November 26, 2021
5.
it's not about "cancelling" anyone or censoring or silencing. Those are straw men.
It's about Dave Chappelle, a wealthy, powerful entertainer — who will continue to be a wealthy, powerful entertainer well into the future — behaving like a shitty human being. pic.twitter.com/fBjaa2rnls
— Secretary Pete's Transport Trekkies
(@TrekkiesforPete) November 26, 2021
6.
Dave Chappelle needed a win so bad he went to dunk on high school kids and he still got a fat L lmao. https://t.co/rttmeAejZa
— The Tetsuya Nomura Defender Has Logged On (@sean_doc16) November 26, 2021
8.
Dave Chappelle coming back to his old high school like pic.twitter.com/lXiyIKfKZP
— Corna King (@ElCornaKing) November 26, 2021
9.
I already found Dave Chappelle's "its ok, my ~trans friend~ would've laughed" bit was gross, but finding out Daphne didn't kill herself bc of online trans hate mobs but rather bc she had PTSD from the transphobic harassment+discrimination she'd received in life has got me LIVID
— roo (@MorganFailchild) November 26, 2021
10.
Dave Chappelle when children say he is being immature pic.twitter.com/oicFxRrNYe
— Maybe a Vampire (@7_skull_buttons) November 26, 2021
11.
I can't stop thinking about Dave Chappelle going to his old high school and starting fights with children about if his new material is funny or not lol
imagine some kid being like "Man, I miss 2016 Quinton" and i just burst down the door
"who said that. who the fuck said that."
— Quinton Reviews
(@Q_Review) November 26, 2021
12.
The nerve of that child saying Dave Chappelle’s comedy kills and Dave’s response at the end is ‘Gold.’ pic.twitter.com/ipz2xpQK7i
— ManifestingAwesomeBeliefsLLC (@Jeronimobrat) November 26, 2021
14.
48 year old Dave Chappelle going to a q+a made up of high schoolers https://t.co/SvRfycgHzs pic.twitter.com/fT4GvzJLD7
— Blake ©
® (@NeilNevins) November 25, 2021