Dave Chappelle’s Grammy win for Netflix special Transphobic has been slammed

Dave Chappelle’s Grammy win for Best Comedy Album on Sunday for his controversial Netflix standup special The nearer has sparked backlash on social media.

His 2021 standup show caused an outcry in the LGBTQ+ community as it was labeled “transphobic” by many. Last year, during another Netflix special, he stood by his comments, calling students who criticized him “instruments of oppression.”

Despite the uproar, Chappelle, 49, was the winner in his category at the 65th Grammy Awards, beating out the likes of Louis CK forgivenessJim Gaffigan (comedy monsterRandy Rainbow (A little brain, a little talent) and Patton Oswalt (we all scream).

His victory comes a year after Louis CK won the award for Sincerely, Louis CKhis first comedy album after his previous sexual misconduct offenses were exposed.

While Chappelle was not on hand at the Grammys Premiere Ceremony to accept his trophy, which was accepted on his behalf by presenter Babyface, there was an uproar from a number of Twitter users.

Eric Deggans, NPR television critic and media analyst, wrote on the microblogging platform: “Wow. Grammys really don’t care. A year after they bestowed an award on known molester Louis CK, they gave one to Dave Chappelle’s homophobic and transphobic Netflix special. sigh.”

Other described Chappelle’s comedy as a “Thanksgiving-level drunken uncle. Someone, anyone, must have produced a funnier standup special last year.”

“But the abandonment culture ruins the conversation,” another sarcastically quipped, capping his tweet with a dazed emoji.

Based on this feeling another commented: “But wait, I thought the abandonment culture was out of control??? Isn’t that what Dave, Elon [Musk] and the fools at Fox News always say, but they keep getting awards.”

Following Chappelle and Louis CK’s nominations for this year’s Grammy Awards, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. The Hollywood Reporter that the organization had no control over who received nods.

“We don’t control who voters vote for,” he told the outlet. “If voters think a creator deserves a nomination, they will vote for them.

“We will never determine anyone’s moral position or where we place them on the moral scale. I think our job is to evaluate the art and the quality of the art. We can ensure that all our spaces are safe and people don’t feel threatened by anyone. But in terms of nominations or awards, we really let the voters make that decision.”

After the release of The nearerLGBTQ advocacy group Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) said in a statement that “Chapelle’s brand has become synonymous with ridiculing trans people and other marginalized communities.”

One of the comments concerned Chappelle saying, “Gender is a fact.”

“Every person in this room, every person on earth had to walk through a woman’s legs to be on earth,” the comic reads. “That’s a fact.”

Chappelle, who is expected to release more specials through Netflix, also added a line about trans women’s genitals, saying that it “isn’t quite what it is.”

Amid the controversy, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos initially defended Chappelle, saying, “We strongly believe that on-screen content does not directly lead to real-world harm.”

However, with the backlash showing no signs of abating, Sarandos later said The Hollywood Reporter that he “screwed up” internal communications about the special.

As the controversy escalated, an estimated 100 Netflix employees staged a strike in October 2021. Netflix’s handling of the situation eventually led to the resignation of Terra Field, a senior engineer at the company and founder of its research group on transgender employees.

Ahead of the strike, Netflix said in a press release, “We value our trans colleagues and allies and understand the deep pain that has been caused. We respect the decision of any employee who chooses to leave and recognize that we have much more work to do both within Netflix and in our content.”

Chappelle eventually addressed his comments, saying that while he was open to meeting with transgender rights groups, he would “bow down to no one’s demands.”

“I said what I said and boy did I hear what you said. My god, how could I not?” Chappelle said in a post on his Instagram. “You said you want a safe work environment at Netflix. It seems I’m the only one who can’t go to the office anymore.”