“We’re not desperate for heroes in the Black community,” says Dave Chappelle in his new Netflix is a Joke special. “Any[one] that survives this nightmare is my goddamn hero… This isn’t really funny at all, is it?” In this latest performance, the renowned comedian makes no attempt to make light of the death of George Floyd.
“I don’t mean to get heavy, but we’ve got to say something,” Chappelle says. Calling Chappelle’s latest performance a “stand-up” would miss the emotions behind it – emotions ranging from anger to heartbreak and back. The special is called “8:46” in reference to the amount of time police officer Derek Chauvin had his knee on George Floyd’s neck.
Dave Chappelle responds to current events
Most everyone knows Chappelle as a funnyman – his comedy specials, his movies, his shows all aim to get a laugh one way or another. But Chappelle has more to say than jokes.
“Why would anyone care what their favorite comedian thinks after they saw a police officer kneel on a man’s neck for eight minutes and forty-six seconds?” Chappelle asks. “I can’t get that number out of my head because that was my time of birth on my birth certificate,” he adds. Throughout “8:46”, Chappelle shows his own relationship to current events, and shares his genuine emotion with his audience.
But, despite his protests, Chappelle has a lot to say. He tells his audience that “the cop that murdered John Crawford pulled me over the night before and let me off with a warning, and the next day kills a kid.”
Chapelle also talks about his father, who called out for his grandmother on his deathbed, just as George Floyd called for his mother. He talks about the history of racism the United States, from sports to legislation, remarking that this is not distant history, or removed history. “These names are not old, this was not a long time ago, it’s today,” he says. They are his great-grandfather, who was born a slave, his friends, and his neighborhood.
Riding career ups and downs
Often lauded as one of the greatest Black comedians in history, Chappelle did not have a linear route to fame.
He started out at the legendary Apollo Theater in New York City, although that didn’t start off well for him. Allegedly he was booed off the stage, but that only motivated him to keep performing. His breakout role in Mel Brook’s Robin Hood: Men in Tights helped establish his acting career, but he later turned down a number of big roles.
However, Chappelle’s career has not always been smooth. He has had a few controversies, including his criticism of “cancel culture” and his critiques of Michael Jackson’s accusers along with other features of his award-winning Sticks & Stones show.
Close to the beginning, Chappelle announces, “I’m going to say something I’m not allowed to say.” He goes on to speak frankly on his opinions of the Michael Jackson accusers, as well as the director of the Surviving R. Kelly documentary. With some less-than-progressive statements regarding the LGBTQ community and women, he has had a very polarizing effect on audiences.
Dave Chappelle keeps the personal, personal
Chappelle lives currently with his wife of 19 years Elaine Mendoza Erfe and their three children, Sulayman, Ibrahim, and Sanaa. He grew up in Maryland, but now lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where his father taught as a professor at the Antioch College. He told his neighbors, “you guys are the best neighbors ever. That’s why I came back, and why I am staying.”
Though always ebullient and seemingly outgoing on stage, Chappelle prefers to keep his personal life, well, personal. This is especially true of his conversion to Islam in 1999.
“I don’t usually talk about my religion publicly because I don’t want people to associate me and my flaws with this beautiful thing,” he tells TIME Magazine. “I want to be well balanced,” he says, “I’ve got to check my intentions, man.”
In line with this attitude of respect for the most serious things in his life, Chappelle does not use his Netflix special as a soap box. Instead, he offers his own feelings to his fans, while acknowledging the limits of his position as a famous, established Black comedian.
“This is the streets talking for themselves,” he says. “They don’t need me right now.”
Watch 8:46 here.
