John Mulaney gets some heat after Dave Chappelle opened for him in Ohio and cracked jokes that some viewers were transphobic and homophobic.
The 39-year-old Saturday Night Live graduate held a show in Columbus, Ohio on Friday night and brought out legendary comedian Chappelle to open the show, TMZ reported.
The audience had their phones locked in their pockets so they couldn’t record the show, but fans in attendance took to Twitter to express their displeasure.
Backlash: John Mulaney takes on heat after Dave Chappelle opened for him in Ohio and told some allegedly transphobic and homophobic jokes (pictured in 2020) It’s not the first time Chappelle’s jokes have been made
One fan sarcastically wrote, “My favorite part of the night was when Dave Chappelle ambushed us at the John Mulaney show, told a bunch of transphobic jokes, a huge stadium of people laughed and John Mulaney gave him a hug at the end.”
The fan, who later identified as transgender in his series of tweets, said he “It’s safe to say I’m not a fan of Mulaney anymore.”
Another contestant wrote, “Okay tell me why I just went to the John Mulaney show and Dave Chappelle was a surprise opener and made not only a transphobic joke but also a homophobic one.”
“Ever hear ~12,000 people laughing at a transphobic joke while you’re a transphobic person in the audience who didn’t know the transphobic comedian was making a surprise appearance on the John Mulaney show? Yes. was no fun. F*** you DC,” wrote another viewer.
Frustrated: Fans took to Twitter to vent their frustration at having to sit down to throw Chappelle’s set
Surprised: One fan appeared genuinely surprised as to why Chappelle was brought on stage
Not happy: One fan appeared furious at being forced to endure the controversial comedian’s set
Forgot his fans? Another person who went to the show pointed out that Mulaney has a strong LGBTQ+ following and felt it was “just deeply disappointing and upsetting” to have Chappelle open up to him.
Another person who went to the show pointed out that Mulaney has a strong LGBTQ+ following and felt it was “just deeply disappointing and upsetting” to have Chappelle open up to him.
Though it doesn’t appear anyone filmed Chappelle’s performance, one fan tried to give the Twitterverse a sort of play-by-play of the jokes being told.
The user wrote: “Dave Chapelle @ John Mulaney OH thread: I’m going to shoot this into the big ethereal as I was on the John Mulaney show tonight: – yes Chapelle was there. – He made a transphobic joke, the joke was line after line, and it went like this: “I mean, it wasn’t a gun, it was a knife! A weapon that identifies itself as a knife?” Then he paused, smiled a little, and quickly walked on.”
‘- The homophobic joke was he said, ‘Maybe you’re both gay, I don’t know, nothing wrong with that if that’s the case.’
While this user argued that Mulaney Chappelle may have only opened up for him because he lives nearby and “the tour is funded by Netflix,” so he may not have had the final say on the matter, another user was quick to point out that Chappelle had reportedly opened up for Mulaney at another show last month.
Trying to fill in the blanks: Although no one seems to have gotten a video of Chappelle’s performance, one fan has attempted to give the Twitterverse a sort of play-by-play of the jokes told
Joke about gender fluidity: “He made a transphobic joke, the joke was line after line, and it went like this: ‘I mean, it wasn’t a gun, it was a knife! A weapon that identifies itself as a knife?”
Pass the buck? While this user argued that Mulaney may have just opened up Chappelle for him because “the tour is funded by Netflix,” another user was quick to point out that Chappelle reportedly opened up for Mulaney last month
Jokes about his attack: The Chappelle Show star’s joke about gender turnover related to an incident that took place late last month when he was attacked at the Hollywood Bowl by a man who was carrying a knife in the shape of a gun
Additionally, reports seem to vary on how many offensive jokes the comedian told at the event, with some fans saying “a bunch” and others apparently thinking there were fewer.
Chappelle’s jokes about the transgender community have landed him in hot water on multiple occasions. Back in 2021, his Netflix special The Closer was criticized for jokes he made in defense of previous anti-trans statements by author JK Rowling and rapper DaBaby.
The Chappelle Show star’s joke about gender fluidity while opening for Mulaney on Friday was in reference to an incident that occurred late last month when he was attacked at the Hollywood Bowl by a man wielding a knife in the shape of a had a gun with him.
Chappelle stirred up further controversy right after the attack when he joked that his attacker, now identified as 23-year-old Isaiah Lee, was a transgender man.
Despite receiving quite a bit of criticism, John Mulaney has yet to publicly comment on the Washington DC native’s appearance on the show.
Keeping mom: Despite receiving quite a bit of criticism, John Mulaney has yet to make a public statement about the Washington DC native’s appearance on the show (left to right: Elaine Chappelle, Dave, Mulaney, Olivia Munn) pictured in 2021