Dave Chappelle Says He's Open to Speaking with Trans Activists

The comedian is claiming that he never received an invitation to speak about the harm caused by his latest special

BY Kaelen BellPublished Oct 21, 2021

During yesterday's (October 20) employee walkout protesting Netflix's handling of Dave Chappelle's latest special, organizer Ashlee Marie Preston said that she had invited Chappelle "to have a transformative dialogue about the harm that was committed." According to Preston, Chappelle chose not to show up. 

However, a representative for Chappelle has now reached out to TMZ to say that the invitation was never extended, and that Chappelle is in fact open to speaking with Preston. 

It's unclear whether there were crossed wires or if this is a case of PR-led narrative control on Chappelle's part, but hopefully, this means there might actually be some worthwhile dialogue between the comedian and the communities that he so consistently disregards in his act. 

Yesterday's employee walk-out coincided with the release of a list of demands from Netflix's trans ERG — demands included having Netflix allow the trans ERG to take on a bigger internal role, have a say in regards to potentially harmful content, and eliminate imagery of transphobic content in the office. The list made no direct reference to Chappelle or his special. 

Head to TMZ  to watch the original interview with Preston, where she discusses reaching out to Chappelle. 

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