Dave Chappelle Bans Journalism From His Stand-Up Shows

Dave Chappelle claims to be a fierce advocate for freedom of speech and freedom of expression — but freedom of the press apparently didn’t make the cut.

When the transgender community and its supporters first began to publicly criticize Chappelle for disparaging the transgender identity, Chappelle and his benefactors at Netflix were quick to reframe the controversy as a crisis in which the woke mob was waging war on Chappelle’s free speech. Then, when pro-trans protesters began to show up to Chappelle’s shows to push back on his continued campaign to frame the real issues trans people face as farcical, Chappelle used the presence of organized opposition to his agenda as proof that he must be the victim of a censorship campaign, never once considering that, maybe, his critics were also exercising the same right to free speech that he claimed to champion.

Today, Chappelle claims that he’s done picking fights with the trans community. However, Chappelle’s war with his critics has only intensified, as he recently took a step toward controlling what can and cannot be said about him and his act. Earlier this week, SFGATE senior culture editor Dan Gentile claimed that he had his pen and notebook confiscated when he attended Chappelle’s stand-up show at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland this past Saturday night, as Chappelle has apparently adopted a “no media” policy.

“Chappelle, well-known for banning cellphones from his sets by making attendees lock their devices in pouches, went a step further this time,” Gentile wrote referencing the extensive warning to audience members about the use of phones, smart watches and other electronic accessories during the show. “There were also no pens or notebooks allowed, which wasn’t stated anywhere on the event website, a fact that didn’t dissuade three different security guards from disarming me of my journalistic weaponry. The fact that I was on assignment didn’t dissuade them: ‘No media at all,’ they said.”

Despite the extensive security measures Chappelle took to prevent possible critics from taking notes on the evening’s show, Gentile explained that, compared to some of Chappelle’s previous performances in the Bay Area, the evening was “otherwise tame” besides the anti-journalism rule. And, as Gentile wrote, Chappelle (sort of) kept his promise to stop going after trans people in his new routine — though, Gentile reported, “After briefly revisiting the Netflix controversy, Chappelle turned to politics, noting that the transgender community will be nostalgic for his jokes once Donald Trump actually begins taking action.”

“I am happy to report that he gave his critics (me) nothing to complain about,” Gentile concluded. “It was a pretty great show, Chappelle in relaxed storyteller mode, no punching down, no knife-twisting, no dying on hills of bad opinions. He seemed subdued, empathetic, the old Chappelle.”

Chappelle, on the other hand, will be dismayed to learn that anyone reported from his show at all.