Comedian Dave Chappelle railed against San Francisco’s homeless people during a show over the weekend, saying “What the (expletive) happened to this place?”
SFGate culture editor Dan Gentile saw Chappelle’s last-minute San Francisco set, sharing this report on the publication’s site.
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Gentile noted that Chappelle told a story about eating at an Indian restaurant and had someone defecate in front of the restaurant as he was walking into it.
San Francisco has become “half ‘Glee,’ half zombie movie,” he said, and he remarked that the whole city is that restaurant. “‘Y’all (N-words) need a Batman!’” Gentile reported.
In addition, Chappelle had to have the audience explain that a business owner recently hosed down a homeless person, an incident that he eventually remembered watching on YouTube.
“The misdirection was followed by a cruel snicker and a trademark slap of the mic against his thigh,” Gentile reported. “If you follow comedy or pop culture news, you know Chappelle has said plenty of irresponsible and dangerous things. Like (Elon) Musk, Joe Rogan and Kanye West, he has insulated himself from criticism with a combination of incredible talent and incredible wealth. Nothing buttresses self-righteousness like being able to scream ‘I’m rich, bitch!’ and mean it. But like with those other antagonists, Chappelle’s delusions get the best of him. Chappelle didn’t repeat the ‘I’m rich, bitch’ line from his TV show as an audience member requested; he said he wouldn’t do it because he doesn’t consider himself rich. That led another audience member to ask why he doesn’t think he’s rich, when he has purchased 20 pieces of property in his home of Yellow Springs, Ohio. In the set’s most eloquent moment, Chappelle responded that given the way Black people are treated in this country, no amount of money could make him feel rich.”
What do you think about Chappelle’s comments and his comedy, which often targets transgender people? Let us know in the comments.