Dave Chappelle Says He Wanted to Pull a "Reverse Kramer" on Hartford Audience and Call Them All "Crackers"

He also wouldn't mind if North Korea bombs Hartford.

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Complex Original

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Dave Chappelle is finally speaking out about exactly why he stopped his comeback performance and walked off stage in Hartford, Connecticut last week—and, surprise, surprise, he's pretty angry it happened. 

Chappelle brought up the failed Hartford performance during a set in Chicago on Tuesday. TMZ posted an audio-only file of his explanation, but The Hollywood Reporterpulled some key excerpts:

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Also, this:

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As previously reported, fans at the Hartford, CT show were heckling Chappelle as he was trying to perform his set last week, to the point where they were being so loud and rowdy that Chappelle stopped his set, then smoked a cigarette and read passages from an audience member's book until his allotted 25 minutes were up.

Back in 2011, Chappelle experienced a similar situation during a set at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Florida: According to Reuters, Chappelle explained that he felt hecklers were trying to get a "reverse Kramer" reaction out of him, so he stayed silent for 46 minutes on stage instead of telling them to be quiet. While that nuclear bomb line was a bit uncomfortable, it's also pretty shitty that hecklers seem to be a trend at Dave Chappelle shows—just let the guy do his job, it's not that hard to refrain from being an asshole for 30 minutes.

You can listen to the full audio below, if you'd like. Chappelle did continue on with the Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival tour after the Hartford incident, and is currently traveling with the festival to perform around the country. 

[via The Hollywood Reporter]

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