See Why Dave Chappelle and John Mulaney Are Trending On Twitter
John Mulaney might be in a bit of trouble as he has recently been trending on Twitter alongside controversial comedian, Dave Chappelle.
John Mulaney is currently on a comedy tour and one of his recent shows has drawn ire from fans. During a visit to Ohio State University’s Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, John Mulaney had Dave Chappelle open for him. Reportedly, Chappelle’s set contained transphobic jokes, which made various members of the audience uncomfortable. Here are some Tweets about the event:
Fans attending the event are mad at Mulaney for adding Dave Chappelle as an opener unannounced, as they weren’t expecting to see him during the show. Here are some more Tweets regarding the event:
Reportedly, Mulaney came on stage and hugged Dave Chappelle after the set, leading more fans to feel disappointed in his decisions. The show required audience members to lock their phones away, so there is no footage of the event itself. Here’s another Tweet with someone’s opinion about the event:
Dave Chappelle’s set was a short 15 minutes, but it apparently contained jokes that targeted the transgender community along with an anti-gay joke. In addition to feeling like they had to see the performance since it was a surprise guest and something they didn’t sign up for, many fans are expressing their disappointment in Mulaney providing Chappelle a platform.
This isn’t the first time that Dave Chappelle has come under fire for anti-trans jokes. His Netflix specials Sticks and Stones from 2019 and The Closer from 2021 both were criticized for the derogatory bits about trans women, along with the parts of the specials where he defended trans statements that were made by rapper DaBaby and Harry Potter author J.K Rowling. Dave Chapelle was recently attacked on stage at a show in Los Angeles and made a joke about the gender identification of the weapon his attacker used. The attacker reportedly had a weapon that was a replica gun able to eject a knife blade. An attendee told Buzzfeed news that Chappelle made a joke about how it was a “knife that identified as a gun,” at the Mulaney show. Chapelle had already faced backlash for his commentary on this event after joking that the attacker was a trans man.
Fans of Mulaney aren’t the only ones who are pushing back against his decision to surprise audiences with Dave Chapelle as their opener. Other comedians have taken to Twitter to speak out against the event too. Tim Heidecker of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job, and On Cinema at the Cinema fame reassured fans that he wouldn’t pull a similar stunt on his tour. See the Tweet below:
I pledge no anti trans weirdo surprise guests on my summer tour.
— Tim Heidecker (@timheidecker) May 21, 2022
Dave Chappelle as an opener for Mulaney likely was surprising for many fans. Mulaney rarely goes into controversial territory with his standup, so it would be surprising to have such a controversial figure opening for him on his comedy tour. Other than the famous “horse in a hospital” bit, Mulaney usually veers away from political and social issues. As of now, Mulaney and Chappelle have not commented on the backlash from the event.
