Michelle Buteau, comedian and star of the underrated 2024 filmBabes, slammed fellow comedianDave Chappelleover the anti-trans rhetoric rampant in the comedy routines. TheSurvival of the Thickeststar returned to Netflix for her second special, where she didn’t shy away from addressing her fellow Netflix stand-up.
PerVariety, Buteau unleashed on Chappelle in her latest Netflix special,Michelle Buteau: A Buteau-ful Mind at Radio City Music Hall, after telling a story about her “Black lesbian friend.” Noting the variety of reactions from the audience – some laughing, some uncomfortable – Buteau said comedians should be able “to tell jokes and stories and not disparage a whole community,” adding, “We can do that. We can make it funny… We just have to work at it, right? So, if you ever run into Dave Chappelle, can you let him know that sh-t? I don’t think he knows that sh-t.”
She then referred to Chappelle as “the GOAT,” but not “the greatest of all time.” In his case, GOAT means “going off on trans people.” Buteau continued:
“I can’t believe somebody would make millions and millions of dollars for making people feel unsafe. That is so wild to me, truly… I’m manifesting this sh-t tonight. This is a Radio City Music Hall takeover, and I’m gonna tell everybody I wanna make millions and millions of dollars for making people feel safe, seen, secure, heard and entertained.”
Dave Chappelle’s New Special Isn’t Funny, and It’s Not Because of Trans Jokes
Dave Chappelle is a master joke-teller, but The Dreamer is arguably the worst stand-up special he has ever done.
Chappelle Has a Long History of Transphobia in His Act
Chappelle has repeatedly come under fire for his jokes about the trans community, beginning in 2021 with his Netflix specialThe Closer. Hundreds of employees of the streaming servicestaged a walkout in protestof the comedy special, citing Chappelle’s comments about the genitals of transgender women, his joke about punching a lesbian in a nightclub, and his statement that “Gender is a fact” as reasons for the walkout.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos apologized to his employees, but ultimatelydefended Chapelle’s right to free expressionand promised there would be no censorship of any kind. Critics see this as less of a free speech issue, and more about propagating dangerous viewpoints towards an entire group of people. Does a comedian, or anyone for that matter, have the right to say whatever they think, even if it further endangers already marginalized individuals?
Despite the backlash, Chapelle has never wavered on his viewpoints. Despite claiming he was “done” with the transgender community in his follow-up Netflix specialThe Dreamer, released in 2023, the comedian made several disparaging remarks towards them, including joking that if he ever goes to prison, he hopes it’s in California, so he can pretend to be a transgender woman to go to a women’s prison and abuse the inmates there.
Some may see this humor as “edgy.” Others may see it as the whinings of a middle-aged man who is bitter about a world he no longer understands. Comedians like Buteau prove you don’t have to punch down to be funny, a lesson Chappelle could stand to learn.
Follows inseparable childhood best friends Eden and Dawn, having grown up together in NYC, now firmly in different phases of adulthood. When carefree and single Eden decides to have a baby on her own after a one-night stand, their friendship faces its greatest challenge. Babes delves into the complexities of female friendship with a blend of laughter, tears, and labor pains.
