Dave Chappelle's Show Jumps Venues Last Minute After Transphobic Joke Backlash

Despite Dave Chappelle receiving an Emmy nomination for "The Closer" last week, he and his show were unceremoniously booted out of one of Minneapolis’ rather storied venues given Chappelle's propensity for cracking less-than-savory jokes at the transgender community.

Hours before he could step onto the stage at Minnesota Metropolis’ First Avenue, the organizers pulled the plug despite being a sold-out show, all 1,550 tickets sold off within minutes after going on sale on July 18. Scroll down to know why, and where the show finally went.

The very thing that got Dave Chappelle an Emmy nomination, is also the crux of the problem. Many of Chappelle's jokes in the Netflix special "The Closer," were deemed transphobic by LGBTQ activists. Post the release, Netflix employees also staged a walkout in protest of the special and also how Netflix handled the backlash.

Hours before the performance, First Avenue put up a social media message, after facing protests over Chappelle's intended show. The theater wrote, "To staff, artists, and our community, we hear you and we are sorry. We know we must hold ourselves to the highest standards, and we know we let you down."

The theater wrote about how it is trying to make its venues "the safest spaces in the country" and will "continue with that mission."

They added, "We believe in diverse voices and the freedom of artistic expression, but in honoring that, we lost sight of the impact this would have." First Avenue management also announced that the performance is now being shifted to the nearby Varsity Theater.

First Avenue is a culturally important landmark, having celebrated its 50th anniversary back in 2020. It was also featured in Prince's iconic 1984 movie, "Purple Rain" and even Chappelle himself has performed at the venue repeatedly.

Despite "The Closer" attracting a rather pointed backlash, with many Netflix staff getting fired or resigning over the same, Chappelle still got an Emmy Nomination, by the TV Academy voters in the Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) category.

Yet, Chappelle never apologized, or felt the need to, calling "The Closer" a masterpiece. In a meeting with upset students of Washington D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Chappelle's alma mater, the comic basically waived off concerns citing freedom of speech.

Said Chappelle, "The more you say I can’t say something, the more urgent it is for me to say it. And it has nothing to do with what you’re saying I can’t say. It has everything to do with my right, my freedom, of artistic expression."

And there are many fans who agree with Chappelle, and disagree with First Avenue:

There are plenty voices on social media, Twitter and Instagram included. Some stand with Dave Chappelle, strongly, with comments like:

But there are plenty of voices against Chappelle as well.

There’s a reason his usual downtown venue with thousands of seats refused to book #DaveChappelle in the first place… https://t.co/W9rZzZ2j61

Guess it's Varsity's gain!