Dave Chappelle claims Republicans 'weaponized' his jokes about trans ideology

Comedian Dave Chappelle said that he resents the Republican Party for “weaponizing” the jokes he made about transgenderism during a recent interview on NPR.

Speaking with Michel Martin on NPR’s “Newsmakers” program, Chappelle addressed how the jokes he made about LGBTQ issues were received by conservatives. Although many on the right welcomed his jokes, Chapelle appeared to denounce their support.

“I did resent that the Republican Party ran on transgender jokes. You know, I felt like they were doing a weaponized version of what I was doing. That’s not what I was doing,” Chappelle said. 

He recounted a visit he made to Capitol Hill, where he was approached by several Republican lawmakers requesting photos. “And I just take pictures with whoever asked. I didn’t ask how they vote or what their voting record is,” Chappelle recalled. “Then here comes Lauren Boebert and she said, ‘Can I get a picture?’ And I had already taken 40 pictures. I didn’t want to say no in front of everybody, but I didn’t know the phrase ‘I respectfully decline.’”

“And then she posted the picture before I could even get from there to the show and says something to the effect of, ‘Just two people that know that it’s just two genders,’” he continued. “Just instantly, like, weaponized or politicized. So I got to the arena, and I lit her ass up for doing that. And she should never do that to a person like me.”

Chappelle previously faced backlash in 2021 following the release of his Netflix comedy special “The Closer,” which included jokes about transgendersm. The special sparked widespread criticism, including protests from Netflix employees over its airing. At the same time, Chappelle received support from many conservative commentators and audiences who defended his remarks as an issue of free speech.

During the interview, Chapelle was also asked if he considers President Donald Trump to be “funny.”

“Maybe if he wasn’t president, I’d think that was funny. Or maybe at times… I do think, you know, that that’s wearing thin,” Chappelle replied. “There are funny things about him. Like, if I were to talk about him, it would be funny. But I think what he does is so consequential and so much of these things, you know, in my lifetime, I’ve never really seen anything of a phenomenon quite like I’m not trying to be political, but it’s remarkable. I don’t know. I don’t know how funny it is.”