Comedian Dave Chappelle challenges the Left’s radical gender theory in his latest comedy special, “The Closer,” hosted on Netflix — and the acclaimed critics are not amused. Review site Rotten Tomatoes’ “top critics” granted Chappelle a dismal 33% rating.
The show was embraced widely by his general audience, however, earning the comic an average 96% rating.
Here are some of the acclaimed critic reviews on the site:
He’s “rich and famous,” he reminds us. Huge. “Clifford” big, he adds. He should start acting like it.
Chappelle’s most incendiary, troubling, and unapologetic one yet.
The comedian’s new Netflix special “The Closer” is a panicked defense of controversial past jokes. The humor doesn’t land. Neither does the justification.
Chappelle’s rampant transphobia doesn’t need to be a problem as long as the jokes land, but his obsession with grievances supersedes any pretense of crafting actual humor.
What is the function of the court jester? Tell the truth. Sure, it makes us laugh too, but the laughter caused by the jester’s ridiculous behavior is usually a poisoned apple. Dave Chappelle is a good court jester.
Additionally, NPR has scolded Chappelle, a black man, for “using white privilege” in the special, and GLAAD has suggested Netflix yank “The Closer” from the platform.
The audience, though, loved the special. Over 1,000 high-rated reviews poured in, landing Chappelle a 96% score. Here are some of the top audience comments:
He got some folks rocking back and forth in a corner chanting “Cancel culture doesn’t exist” with straight jackets on Take a shot at the GOAT, you best not miss.
Loved every minute of it and love how Dave Chapelle speaks his mind freely. Speaks up for us without a voice!
Chappelle is the GOAT! Always pushing boundaries
Dave tells it like it is, and we the people love him for it. These audience scores show the mainstream critics are willfully out of touch with reality.
Awesome special, really funny and eye opening. This man’s not only a comic but delivers a Ted like performance and left me wondering and laughing at the same time. All this political backlash is proof of an emotional and butthurt media, do not take this off Netflix. Give it a higher rating, observe the audience score and grow a backbone.
Pure Comedy Truth. Hope this isn’t the last we hear from this legend.
Screenshot: Rotten Tomatoes
As highlighted by The Daily Wire, Chappelle completely bucks the Left’s narrative on gender, as he’s done in the past.
The 48-year-old comic says plainly that “gender is a fact” during the standup special and defends “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, who has taken heat for refusing to comply with progressive gender theory.
The Washington Examiner last week reported on Chappelle’s commentary in the special [Warning: language]:
“Gender is a fact,” Chappelle says , according to a Daily Beast report of his sixth special on the streaming platform. “Every human being in this room, every human being on Earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on Earth. That is a fact. Now, I am not saying that to say trans women aren’t women, I am just saying that those p*****s that they got … you know what I mean? I’m not saying it’s not p***y, but it’s Beyond P***y or Impossible P***y.”
The comedian then took on the backlash aimed at women who do not comply with the Left’s gender ideology, namely Rowling.
The author notably identified herself as a “TERF,” or “trans-exclusionary radical feminist,” back in 2019, according to the Examiner. The term is typically used by transgender activists to disparage women who reject the notion that biological males can be women. Chappelle said in the special that he’s proudly “team TERF,” after offering a defense of Rowling, the Examiner reported.
“Any of you who have ever watched me know that I have never had a problem with transgender people. If you listen to what I’m saying, clearly, my problem has always been with white people,” Chappelle later joked in “The Closer.”
Related: ‘Gender Is A Fact’: Dave Chappelle Bucks The Left On Gender, Defends J.K. Rowling In New Special
Related: Dave Chappelle On Comedy Special Backlash: ‘If This Is What Being Cancelled Is About, I Love It’