Barack Obama's Dave Chappelle diss goes viral after Neal Brennan video resurfaces
Dave Chappelle has been in the eye of the storm following his remarks centered on the trans and LGBTQ+ communities in his Netflix special ‘The Closer’. Employees at Netflix will halt work on Wednesday, October 18, in a virtual walkout to condemn the streaming platform’s handling of complaints against the special.
The group calling itself Team Trans has scheduled a rally outside Netflix's 13-story offices in LA, where activists, public figures and other supporters plan to present Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos with a "list of asks."
"We shouldn't have to show up quarterly/annually to push back against harmful content that negatively impacts vulnerable communities," organizer Ashlee Marie Preston wrote in a social media post. "Instead, we aim to use this moment to shift the social ecology around what Netflix leadership deems ethical entertainment."
But while many are at odds with Chappelle’s comments, and amid debate as to what constitutes humor, the material effects of effectively saying trans women are not women by talking about their genitals, an old video has become popular again where Chappelle was allegedly dissed by former US President Barack Obama.
Neal Brennan, comic and podcaster best known for co-creating and co-writing the Comedy Central series ‘Chappelle's Show’, in a stand-up set described meeting the former US president at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2011 and revealed what he had to say about Chappelle. The 'Chappelle Show' came to an early end when Chappelle decided not to do it anymore.
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When Brennan told Barack and Michelle Obama that he co-created ‘Chappelle’s Show’, Obama reportedly told him: “Oh man. We love that show. In fact, that’s gotta be considered one of the greatest shows of all time.” He said in the show that the president, the then first Lady, and he commiserated over the show’s demise, and later Brennan took a picture with the president.
Brennan said he asked Obama, “God, man, this is all so weird. Do you ever get used to this?” Brennan then said, “And he goes, ‘Nope.' And then I swear to God, he goes, ‘But you know, I can’t just up and retire like Dave Chappelle did.'”
During an appearance on Talib Kweli's ‘People Party’ podcast in 2019, Brennan said, "If you assume ‘Chappelle's Show’ ended on some racist s**t then who else are you going to hold responsible?" He also said that the charismatic persona that made Chappelle a comedic superstar prevents fans from realizing that people can be angry with him.
"That's actually proof of not racism," Brennan continued. "That I can openly f**king fight with my friend... But people don't like someone that they really like -- they don't like you disagreeing with them." Brennan also insisted that he and Chappelle are great friends. "It's hard because it's like private," Brennan said. "Like I do want people to know stuff but at the same time it's private... It's a guy I know so well that it's laughable how well I know him."
In his polarizing Netflix special, Chappelle said, “Now, I am not saying that to say trans women aren’t women, I am just saying that those p***ies that they got… you know what I mean? I’m not saying it’s not p***y, but it’s Beyond P***y or Impossible P***y. It tastes like p***y, but that’s not quite what it is, is it? That’s not blood. That’s beet juice.”
Chappelle also said that he won’t be doing any more LGBTQ jokes “until we are both sure that we are laughing together. I’m telling you, it’s done. I’m done talking about it. All I ask of your community, with all humility: Will you please stop punching down on my people.”