Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Tuesday, October 26th, 2021

I REALLY didn't want to have to write about Dave Chappelle

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Tuesday, October 25th, 2021. I'm writing this from the Twin Cities, where AllYourScreens HQ really didn't want to have to tackle the "is Dave Chappelle canceled?" story once again.

DAVE CHAPPELLE STRIKES BACK
Knowing a bit about Dave Chappelle's personality and ego, I wasn't surprised that the comedian didn't make any public comment over the past week as Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos dealt with protests and bad press over some of the comments Chappelle made in his latest Netflix stand-up special. Any comments Chappelle made in the middle of that PR firestorm would just get mixed in with everything else going on and would lessen his impact. Chappelle - like most comedians - is a dangerous mix of self-absorption and ego. So it was almost a guarantee that when he did respond to the protests, he would adopt a stance of smug indifference. And he was almost certainly going to complain that the real issue is censorship and some undefined campaign to shut down his free speech.

If you heard a faint scream of "No!" off in the distance along the West Coast a few hours ago, what you might have heard was the sound of Ted Sarandos realizing that Dave Chappelle had released a video on his Instagram account which took aim at his critics, the "cancel culture" and weirdly enough, cisgender lesbian female comic Hannah Gadsby. 

I decided to post his comments in full here, because while I have seen plenty of coverage of the video popping up on various entertainment news and trade web sites, I think it's important to read it all and not just the "highlights." If you want to watch the video, you can do it here:

"It's been said in the press that I was invited to speak to the transgender employees of Netflix and I refused. That is not true. If they would have invited me, I would have accepted it. Although I am confused about what we are speaking about. I said what I said and boy, I heard what YOU said. My God, how can I not? You say you want a safe working environment at Netflix. Well, it seems like, I'm the only one who can't go to the office anymore."

"I want everyone in this audience to know, that even thought the media frames it as if it's me against that community....that's not what it is. Do not blame the LGBTQ community for any of this shit. This has nothing to do with them. It's about corporate interests and what I can say and what I cannot say. For the record - and I need you to know this - everyone I know from that community has been nothing but living and supportive. So I don't know what all of this nonsense is about."

"In the summer of 2020 - when the whole world shut down - I was outside, doing shows. My neighbor had a cornfield and he let me throw shows there. And people came from all over the country. Some people came from around the world to see those shows. The best comedians on Earth came to my home and broke bread with me. And we lived our lives. We found a way to keep moving forward. I made a whole documentary about it. The first night of those shows was a piece some of you might have seen. It was called "8:46" and it dealt with the death..the murder of George Floyd. "

"This film I made was invited to every film festival in the United States and some of those invitations I accepted. And when this controversy came out, about The Closer, they began disinviting me from these film festivals. And now, today...not a film company, not a movie studio, not a film festival, nobody will touch this film. Thanks God for Ted Sarandos and Netflix, he's the only one who ain't canceled me yet."

"To the transgender community, I am more than willing to give you an audience. But you will not summon me. I am not bending to anybody's demands. And if you want to meet with me, I'd be more than willing to. But I have some conditions. First of all, you cannot come if you have not watched my special from beginning to end. You must come to a place of my choosing at a time of my choosing, and thirdly, you must admit that Hannah Gadsby is not funny."

"I desperately want people to see this movie. But I understand why investors would be nervous. Since nobody will touch it, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll make it available for all of you. In ten American cities. Going on sale in the next ten days. You will be able to see this movie in its entirety. You can see what they are trying to obstruct you from seeing. And you can judge for yourself."

"But you cannot have this conversation and exclude my voice from it. That is only fair. You have to answer the question: Am I canceled or not? The let's go. Thank you and good night."

I had a couple of immediate reactions. One is that I did stand-up successfully for more than a decade and while I wasn't 1/50th the comic Chappelle was in prime, I am smart enough to know that it's never a good idea to drink on stage when you're angry. It's not that just the alcohol lessens your self-control. The even more dangerous wildcard is that the audience will laugh and applaud at all sorts of dumbass things you probably shouldn’t be saying. There can be a very small gap between "this comment made people laugh" and "this is something I probably should have kept to myself."

I've written before about how most big stars have their own bubble around them: a group of agents, hangers-on, publicists and other trusted associates whose primary job is to protect the star. Unfortunately that often means shielding said star from hearing anything that they don't want to hear. Or interacting with anyone who might not be 100 percent "Team Star." That perception bubble can trick you into believing that your daily experience actually reflects reality as it is for everyone else. I believe Chappelle when he says that every "everyone I know from that community has been nothing but living and supportive." That's the bubble in action. You hear what you need to hear and dissenting voices never drift into your orbit.

My final thought about the video is that Chappelle has truly become a comic for our age. He's drifted into this weird trolling/faux sincerity/cultural outrage world where entirely too many American live in 2021. It's all about being an asshat, showing everyone that you're smart and open-minded and anyone who doesn't see you that way is the REAL danger.

If you go into a bar and someone starts a sentence with "I'm not a racist...but," you can almost guarantee that the person will follow that phrase by saying something super racist. And in the same way, when Chappelle said "Do not blame the LGBTQ community for any of this shit. This has nothing to do with them," it was almost inevitable that he would ultimately be a jerk towards the same group less than a minute later.

Sure, I could mock the passive-aggressive arrogance of a comic who simultaneously complains about being "canceled," while also announcing a ten-city tour of stadiums that will allow him to make more money than he ever would have made showing his documentary at film festivals.

One of those ten dates is here in the Twin Cities, and a small part of me is curious to see what happens. Honestly, I would more interested in getting five minutes to ask him a couple of questions. I don't think he'd answer them honestly, but I'd like to give him the opportunity to try, since he seems convinced the media and unnamed big corporations are out to get him.

The worst thing about this video is that it is going to ignite another round of tiresome and pointless back-and-forth exchanges between Chappelle supporters and critics. Frankly, I'm tired of this cultural forever war, especially when it's clear that one side enjoys the fight a little bit too much.

THE CHAPPELLE TOUR INFO
In case you are curious, this is what the ten-date Dave Chappelle and Friends tour looks like:

Screening of "Untitled" Dave Chappelle Documentary directed by Oscar nominated filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar. Plus Live appearance by Dave Chappelle & Friends.

11/4 San Francisco
11/7 Minneapolis
11/9 Des Moines
11/12 Indianapolis
11/14 Cleveland
11/15 Toronto
11/17 Cincinnati
11/19 Columbus
11/21 Atlanta
11/22 New York

TWEET OF THE DAY

OKAY, I'M CONFUSED
I saw this Monday in my Netflix account. And something is certainly wrong.

SEE YOU WEDNESDAY! HOPEFULLY, WITHOUT ANY DAVE CHAPPELLE UPDATES

If you have any feedback, send it along to Rick@AllYourScreens.com and follow me on Twitter @aysrick.