Comedian Dave Chappelle had his sold-out show at Minneapolis’ First Avenue theater canceled hours before showtime after a social media backlash to his booking. The show was moved to the Varsity Theater, also in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The canceled show was supposed to be Wednesday night. Chappelle will also perform at Varsity Theater Thursday and Friday.
Mr. Chappelle has courted controversy and received pushback for his numerous jokes about the transgender community. His October Netflix special, “The Closer,” prompted a staff walkout at Netflix company offices in Los Angeles, California.
First Avenue, famous for being where Prince’s “Purple Rain” was performed and recorded, addressed the social media backlash on Twitter. In a statement, the venue wrote “To staff, artists and our community, we hear you and we are sorry.”
We hear you. Tonight’s show has been cancelled at First Avenue and is moving to the Varsity Theater. See our full statement for more. pic.twitter.com/tkf7rz0cc7
— First Avenue (@FirstAvenue) July 20, 2022
Mr. Chappelle has responded fiercely to the criticism, doubling down on his jokes and calling for freedom of expression.
In a recent speech given at his high school alma mater, Mr. Chappelle said “The more you say I can’t say something, the more urgent it is for me to say it … It has everything to do with my right, my freedom of artistic expression,” according to Variety.
On May 3, Mr. Chappelle was attacked on-stage at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl. On July 12, Mr. Chappelle’s special “The Closer” was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) category.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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