During a Friday performance of his “From Scratch” tour, comedian John Mulaney shocked his audience — and drew criticism from some fans — when Dave Chappelle appeared as an opening act and cracked transphobic jokes.
Chappelle’s opening set occurred during a show at The Ohio State University’s Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Although there is no footage of the event, as attendees were required to lock their phones beforehand, several audience members took to social media to criticize the show. According to those in attendance, Chappelle appeared as a surprise opening and told jokes aimed at the transgender community. Mulaney reportedly came onstage and hugged Chappelle at the end of the opening set. Some fans in the crowd expressed their disappointment after the show on Twitter:
my favorite part of tonight was when dave chappelle ambushed us on the john mulaney show, he told a bunch of transphobic jokes, a big stadium of people laughed, and then john mulaney hugged him at the end
— Rylan ☻ (@testosteronejew) May 21, 2022
Have you ever heard ~12,000 people laugh at a transphobic joke, while you’re a trans person in the audience who didn’t know the transphobic comedian would be making a surprise appearance on the John Mulaney show? Yes. it wasn’t fun fuck you dc
— rae (scarier version) (@raegan_givant) May 21, 2022
Okay, tell me why I just went to the John Mulaney show and Dave Chappelle was a surprise opener and made not only a transphobic but a homophobic joke.
– Maddie (@boobeoisie) May 21, 2022
Jokes about the transgender community have been a recent cornerstone of Chappelle’s stand-up. The comedian first sparked controversy for anti-trans jokes in Netflix specials like 2019’s “Sticks and Stones” and the 2021 special “The Closer.” “The Closer,” in particular, faced criticism from groups including GLAAD and the National Coalition for Black Justice for derogatory jokes Chappelle made about trans women, as well as lengthy snippets in which he defended earlier anti-trans statements by rapper DaBaby and “Harry Potter”. ” author JK Rowling. Earlier this month, after being attacked while performing at a Netflix is a Joke event, Chappelle sparked further controversy when he joked that the attacker was a trans man.
Chappelle’s controversial and derogatory statements contrast with Mulaney’s largely uncontroversial material. In his stand-up, Mulaney tends to steer clear of political or social issues, focusing on self-deprecating humor, anecdotes about his personal life, and his struggles with alcoholism and addiction.
After Mulaney began trending on Twitter the next day as a result of Chappelle’s surprise set, comedians began reacting in turn.
I promise not to surprise any queer anti-trans guests on my summer tour.
—Tim Heidecker (@timheidecker) May 21, 2022
Dave Chappelle won’t come to my shows, if that’s what’s keeping you from buying tickets.
— Kyle Kinane (Charlotte North Carolina 6/2-4) (@kylekinane) May 21, 2022
Representatives for Mulaney and Chapelle did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Reference-variety.com