“If anything, Dave is putting the school on the map,”
Comedian Dave Chappelle visited his old high school but was not met with a warm welcome, with one person branding him a ‘childish bigot’.
On Tuesday, the comedian visited Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, but was not received well by the student body.
Addressing the 580 students for an hour, Chappelle was met with both booing and cheering. After his speech, he then opened up the floor for a question and answer segment, reports POLITICO.
The first person at the mic declared Chappelle a “bigot”, before adding “I’m 16 and I think you’re childish, you handled it like a child”.
The trans community didn’t force Dave Chappelle to go to his old high school and berate those kids—his ego did. This isn’t about the trans community vs Dave. It’s about the next generation vs. the toxic ideologies that threaten their futures. Our youth understand the assignment.
— Ashlee Marie Preston (@AshleeMPreston) November 26, 2021
Rather than discuss the kids perspective, Chappelle more or less confirms the statement by replying: “My friend, with all due respect, I don’t believe you could make one of the decisions I have to make on a given day.”
Dave Chappelle made a surprise stop to his former high school this week – and had a heated Q&A session with nearly 600 students about his Netflix special https://t.co/XYnhpCxYTp pic.twitter.com/8f3NTglVpY
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) November 25, 2021
In reply to another question, the 48-year-old said, “I’m better than every instrumentalist, artist, no matter what art you do in this school, right now, I’m better than all of you. I’m sure that will change. I’m sure you’ll be household names soon.”
One student shouted “Your comedy kills”, to which Chappelle yelled back, “N***** are killed every day”.
His appearance has also annoyed parents who didn’t believe the discussion was productive.
One said: “As a parent, I have to say I have a real problem. … He was being dead serious and using the n-word on the record. What kind of judgment is the school showing to allow that?”
“They are complaining that he talked and said the n-word. If anything, Dave is putting the school on the map,” said Chappelle’s spokesperson.
Kids and parents alike refused to be named for fear of being singled out by the school or Chappelle himself. When one girl stood up and left the assembly, Chappelle allegedly singled her out in the crowd and shouted, “Of course she left early”.
“It was a huge power imbalance of this grown man and his camera crew — and these 14- to 18 year-olds without their phones, just high school kids,” said one student, while also confirming they had to put their own phones in sealable pouches.
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