Michelle Buteau Brutally Calls Out Dave Chappelle's Trans Jokes in New Netflix Special
Michelle Buteau takes visceral aim at Dave Chappelle's controversial jokes regarding the transgender community in her new Netflix special, Michelle Buteau: A Buteau-ful Mind at Radio City Music Hall.
The special, which debuted Tuesday on the ubiquitous streaming service, finds Buteau brutally calling out Chappelle while discussing comedians' responsibilities to their audience.
In her set, Buteau shares a story about a "Black lesbian friend" that sparks a mix of reactions from the audience. From there, she uses the moment to address the importance of telling jokes without harming marginalized groups.
After all, the possibility exists "to tell jokes and stories and not disparage a whole community," she says, emphasizing that comedy can be both impactful and respectful.
And Buteau doesn't shy away from naming Chappelle directly, as Variety illustrated this week. In fact, she comically implores the audience members present to pass along her message to the comedian.
"We just have to work at it, right?" Buteau quips, drawing both laughs and applause. "If you ever run into Dave Chappelle, can you let him know that s**t? I don't think he knows that s**t."
In one particularly biting moment, Buteau sarcastically refers to Chappelle as the "GOAT" before clarifying her meaning — instead of "Greatest of All Time," she says for him it means, "Going Off on Trans People."
She continues, "I can't believe somebody would make millions and millions of dollars for making people feel unsafe. That is so wild to me, truly. I'm manifesting this s**t tonight. This is a Radio City Music Hall takeover, and I'm gonna tell everybody I wanna make millions and millions of dollars for making people feel safe, seen, secure, heard and entertained."
Chappelle has faced backlash since his 2021 Netflix special The Closer included material focused on the trans community. Despite criticism, he doubled down on his views in his follow-up special, The Dreamer, refusing to back away from controversial material.
Buteau's remarks highlight an ongoing debate about the role of comedy in addressing sensitive topics. Her comments add to the continuing conversation about how comedians can balance humor with responsibility in today's cultural climate.
