Story at a glance
- Comedian Patton Oswalt defended his friendship and recent performance with Dave Chappelle.
- “I ended the year with a real friend and a deep laugh. Can’t ask for much more,” Oswalt said.
- Oswalt said in a follow-up post that the pair have had their share of both good and bad performances, but he disagrees with Chappelle “about transgender rights and representation.”
Comedian Patton Oswalt defended his friendship and recent performance with Dave Chappelle amid the ongoing fallout over Chappelle’s controversial Netflix special “The Closer.”
“I waved good-bye to this hell-year with a genius I started comedy with 34 years ago,” Oswalt wrote Saturday following a News Year’s Eve guest set with Chappelle.
“I ended the year with a real friend and a deep laugh. Can’t ask for much more,” he added.
Oswalt said in a follow-up post that the pair have had their share of both good and bad performances, but he disagrees with Chappelle “about transgender rights and representation.”
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“I support trans peoples’ rights — ANYONE’S rights — to live safely in the world as their fullest selves,” he said, referring to backlash against Chappelle’s Netflix special where he made jokes about the transgender community, which led to a walkout at the streaming company.
“For all the things he’s helped ME evolve on, I’ll always disagree with where he stands NOW on transgender issues,” Oswalt continued.
But the 52-year-old comedian is confident in Chappelle’s ability to intellectually adapt, saying he doesn’t “believe a seeker like him is done evolving, learning.”
“You know someone that long, see the struggles and changes, it’s impossible to cut them off. Impossible not to be hopeful and open and cheer them on,” Oswalt said.
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