Dave Chappelle Talks the Capitol Riot and Having Covid-19 in a New Stand-up Clip
Photo: Dave Chappelle in 2019, taken by Lester Cohen, courtesy of Netflix
Dave Chappelle’s basically an Instagram comic now? Today his Instagram page published a 12-minute stand-up clip from a recent show at Stubb’s BBQ in Austin (yep, a show during the pandemic, we’re gonna get to that). Titled “Redemption Song,” the video sums up the contradictions and conviction of Chappelle almost too perfectly. He makes some very true, very powerful observations about the D.C. riot and how America’s surveillance state created to keep terrorists in check is now focused on the white terrorists who stormed the Capitol that day, but then he also starts off the video by calling anybody who’s criticized him for doing live shows during a pandemic a coward. We’d argue that it’s actually more cowardly to put your own need to perform above the health of others—especially when you’re worth tens of millions and could easily afford to take a year or two off touring—but we’ll save that for an editorial.
The coronavirus stuff at the start is laughable, and not in a good way, but it’s worth sitting through—or skipping past—to get to Chappelle’s furious insights into the Capitol riot, the rise of white domestic terrorism, and the militarization of law enforcement. You can check it out below. And oh, yes, he also announced that Chappelle’s Show is returning to Netflix, after the comedian and the streamer reached a deal together.
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