A high school fundraiser at the Washington, D.C. alma mater of Dave Chappelle has reportedly been called off over widely criticized comments the comedian made in his latest Netflix special The Closer.
Per a Politico report, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Georgetown—from which Chappelle graduated—initially planned for a fundraiser on Nov. 23 that would see money raised going toward a new theater. That theater would carry the comedian’s name.
However, as two students have since told the outlet’s Playbook guide, a debate was prompted with faculty in the wake of the Netflix special. Many students, per the report, were “uncomfortable” with the idea of being made to show support for Chappelle. Some students also discussed the potential for a walkout. Ultimately, the school chose to cancel the fundraising event.
Complex has reached out to a rep for the Duke Ellington School of the Arts for comment.
Among other things, Chappelle said in the special that he was “team TERF,” i.e. a trans-exclusionary radical feminist. Netflix leadership’s initial responses to the criticism brought against the special were also met with pushback.
“I didn’t event know what the fuck that was but I know that trans people make up words to win arguments, so I looked it up,” Chappelle said in the special. “TERF is an acronym. It stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminists, and this is a real thing. This is a group of women that hate transgender, they don’t hate transgender women but they look at trans women the way we Blacks might look at blackface. It offends them. Like, ‘Ew, this bitch is doing an impression of me.’”
