Dave Chappelle has expressed frustration that Republican politicians have “weaponised” his jokes about transgender people for political purposes. The comedian, speaking on NPR’s Newsmakers podcast, said he resented the way his material had been co-opted by the party.
Chappelle cited a 2023 incident with Representative Lauren Boebert, who posted a photo with him and another Republican, captioning it: “Just three people who understand that there’s only two genders.” He claimed he did not know how to refuse the photo at the time, but later criticised her from the stage for politicising the interaction.
The comedian has faced sustained backlash for his transgender jokes in Netflix specials such as Sticks & Stones and The Closer. He maintained that his comedy was never intended to be “malicious or even harmful” to the trans community, and insisted that if he had genuinely caused hurt, critics would have held him accountable.
While acknowledging the existence of harmful anti-trans sentiment and real threats of violence, Chappelle argued that his jokes should not be equated with political attacks. However, critics contend that by recording and publishing such material, he cannot fully separate himself from the political consequences.
