GLAAD & National Black Justice Coalition Called Out Dave Chappelle Over “The Closer”

Dave Chappelle is drawing a growing wave of criticism for his derogatory comments about the LGBTQ+ community in his newest Netflix stand-up special.

The special, titled “The Closer,” premiered on the streamer on Tuesday and is meant to serve as a final entry in a series of stand-up routines by Chappelle on Netflix. In the new release, the comedian makes explicit jokes about trans women and offers defenses for previous derogatory comments made by figures such as “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling and rapper DaBaby.

Chappelle also references criticism he faced over the past two years for makings jokes about the trans community in his specials “Equanimity” and “Sticks and Stones.”

In a statement, GLAAD called out the pattern of derogatory jokes, saying that “Chappelle’s brand has become synonymous with ridiculing trans people and other marginalized communities.”

The National Black Justice Coalition, a civil rights advocacy group serving the LGBTQ+ community, also provided a statement, urging Netflix to remove the new special from its catalog.

“With 2021 on track to be the deadliest year on record for transgender people in the United States — the majority of whom are Black transgender people — Netflix should know better,” NBJC executive director David Johns said in a statement. “Perpetuating transphobia perpetuates violence. Netflix should immediately pull ‘The Closer’ from its platform and directly apologize to the transgender community.”

Jaclyn Moore, a writer, executive producer and showrunner on Netflix series “Dear White People,” expressed her disappointment in the streamer, declaring that she is “done” with the company.

“I will not work with them as long as they continue to put out and profit from blatantly and dangerously transphobic content,” Moore wrote in part.