The comedian reportedly criticizes the United States for backing Israel in what he dubs 'war crimes' against Palestinians during a live performance, prompting some audience members to walk out.
- Oct 23, 2023
AceShowbiz - Dave Chappelle has received some pushback over yet another controversial remark. The comedian reportedly offended some people at his recent show in Boston after he weighed in on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.
During his live performance at TD Garden on Thursday, October 19, the 50-year-old first condemned the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants. He, however, criticized what he dubbed "war crimes" in Gaza and blasted the United States for allegedly aiding the murder of innocent civilians, according to people in attendance.
The former "Chappelle's Show" star said he didn't think students should lose job offers for supporting Palestinians. When a member of the audience told Dave to "shut up," he criticized the Israeli government for cutting off food, water and electricity to Gaza and accused it of killing innocent people.
Some audience members cheered Dave and shouted "Free Palestine," while others yelled, "What about Hamas." Some people eventually walked out of the show after the raucous moment. Toward the end of the show, Dave said that two wrongs don't make a right in reference to the Hamas attacks and Israel's subsequent military response.
Following the controversy caused by his remark, a spokesperson for the funnyman told The Wall Street Journal that Dave "denies being in Boston" that night despite the show being listed among his dates by ticket outlets.
This isn't the first time Dave has landed in hot water for speaking out his stance on hot issues. Back in 2021, he received backlash over his transgender jokes in his Netflix special "The Closer".
In the controversial special, Dave said, "Gender is a fact. Every human being in this room, every human being on earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on earth. That is a fact." He went on to say, "Now, I am not saying that to say trans women aren't women, I am just saying that those p***ies that they got… you know what I mean? I'm not saying it's not p***y, but it's Beyond P***y or Impossible P***y. It tastes like p***y, but that's not quite what it is, is it? That's not blood. That's beet juice."
