Dave Chappelle Show Cancelled By Minneapolis’ First Avenue Hours Before It Started: “We Believe In Diverse Voices And The Freedom Of Artistic Expression”
Josh Berger
|
It seems like Dave Chappelle just hasn’t been able to catch a break following the release of his Netflix special last year, after woke social justice warriors accused the comedian of attacking the transgender community with his comedy routines.
The latest bit of controversy surrounding the famed comedian involves a performance venue cancelling Chappelle’s stand-up show just hours before the event started.
Source: Dave Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl for Netflix Is A Joke Fest. Cr. Mathieu Bitton/Netflix © 2022
In response to a petition signed by a measly 128 social justice warriors, First Avenue in Minneapolis reconsidered having the comedian perform at their insufferably woke venue.
The petition begged First Avenue to prevent the comedian from performing, claiming, “Dave Chappelle has a record of being dangerous to trans people, and First Avenue has a duty to protect the community.”
“Chappelle’s actions uphold a violent heteronormative culture and directly violate First Avenue’s code of conduct. If staff and guests are held to this standard, performers should be too,” it concluded.
Source: Dave Chappelle: Deep in the Heart of Texas (2017), Netflix
“We hear you. Tonight’s show has been cancelled at First Avenue and is moving to the Varsity Theater,” wrote the official Twitter account for the Minneapolis based venue, followed by a fairly contradictory statement claiming that the aforementioned club believes in “freedom of artistic expression.”
The statement read, “To staff, artists, and our community, we hear you and we are sorry. We know we must hold ourselves to the highest standards, and we know we let you down, We are not just a black box with people in it, and we understand that First Ave is not just a room, but meaningful beyond our walls.”
Source: First Avenue, Twitter
“The First Avenue team and you have worked hard to make our venues the safest spaces in the country, and we will continue with that mission,” it continued.
“We believe in diverse voices and the freedom of artistic expression,” First Avenue hypocritically claimed, “but in honoring that, we lost sight of the impact this would have. We know there are some who will not agree with this decision; you are welcome to send feedback.”
As it concluded, the woke venue reassured paying customers, “If you are a ticket holder, look for an email with information on your ticket(s) transferring to the show at Varsity Theater.”
Dave Chappelle and Friends. Dave Chappelle at the Hollywood Bowl for Netflix Is A Joke Fest. Cr. Mathieu Bitton/Netflix © 2022
RELATED: Dave Chappelle Issues Statement After Being Attacked During Netflix Is A Joke Comedy Festival
It is also worth noting that First Avenue cancelled a completely sold-out show because of a petition that barely got 130 signatures. In a stark and overwhelming contrast, all 1,550 tickets for Chappelle’s stand-up show were sold in a matter of minutes.
There were a small handful of woke social justice warriors who actually supported First Avenue’s decision to cancel the comedian’s stand-up routine because it could potentially hurt someone’s fragile feelings.
“Thank you for recognizing how harmful this booking was,” cried pro-murder advocate Geri Katz, who added, “I hope you will try to repair some of the damage that was done, and try to rebuild trust with the trans community and allies.”
Source: @gkatz, Twitter
“You don’t exactly deserve a ton of praise for getting yourselves into this position to begin with, but good,” wrote Vulture contributor Noah Jacobs.
Source: Noah Jacobs, Twitter
“Thank you for making the right call on this one,” declared photographer and journalist Scott Heins.
Source: Scott Heins, Twitter
First Avenue’s poor attempt to justify the reason behind the show’s cancellation was mainly met with ridicule from social media users; most of whom called out the performance venue’s hypocrisy regarding freedom of artistic expression.
“Imagine turning away the greatest stand up comic in history because people who didn’t buy tickets to a show were upset,” opined Jacob Hatton.
Source: @Hatton4Jacob, Twitter
Sky News host Rita Panahi simply described First Avenue’s hypocritical statement about the show’s cancellation as “Pathetic.”
Source: Rita Panahi, Twitter
Twitter user @J_Mo52 declared, “This is ridiculous. I hope you realize you are now setting a new standard/precedence,” before pondering, “How many artists have performed at First Avenue that have been ‘offensive’ towards other groups of people? Like women, for example?”
“You basically just cancelled half of Rhymesayers’ group,” the user concluded.
Source: @J_Mo52, Twitter
“This doesn’t hurt Chappelle in the slightest but I’m sure as soon as other performers find out that you will cancel their shows just because someone was offended, there’s not going to be many people wanting to work with you,” expressed @blackflagart, adding a cheeky, “but hey you do you.”
Source: @blackflagart, Twitter
Peter Kohan suggested, “Maybe you need a staff that supports free artistic expression and doesn’t want to act as a censor. Because, guess what? The venue moved. The ticket buyers will see Chappelle. That venue will get the money your venue should have gotten. And Chappelle will likely roast you.”
Source: @peterkohan, Twitter
Associate editor of The Post Millennial Ari Hoffman called out the venue’s “We believe in diverse voices and freedom of expression” claim, noting, “which is why we are denying an artist of a different viewpoint his freedom of expression.”
Source: @thehoffather, Twitter
Filmmaker Hayden Hewitt was also critical of First Avenue’s tone-deaf statement, asserting, “‘We believe in diverse voices but prefer obedient people,'” and adding, “You know Chappelle isn’t a bigot, but you know you want to appear virtuous. Comedy was never meant to be safe, you’ve really f—ked up.”
Source: Hayden Hewitt, Twitter
Lawyer and YouTuber Viva Frei pulled no punches, stating, “Chapter 11” making allusion to the United States Bankruptcy Code and suggesting First Avenue file for bankruptcy, adding, “You can’t possibly deserve it more.”
Source: Viva Frei, Twitter
“So what you’re saying is a black man is not allowed in your club,” pointed out radio show host Dan O’Donnell.
Source: Dan O’Donnell, Twitter
CEO of Blaze Media Tyler Cardon made a mockery of First Avenue’s hypocritical statement, writing, “We believe in diverse voices and the freedom of artistic expression, but in honoring that, we overlooked how fragile, humorless, and unhinged so many of you had become. We’re scared now. Please leave us alone.”
Source: Tyler Cardon, Twitter
Political comedian and Washington Times columnist Tim Young mocked the performance venue’s claim that they “believe in diverse voices,” rightfully asserting, “…except the voices we don’t agree with.”
Source: Tim Young, Twitter
Following his highly retweeted comment, Young went on to elaborate on this particular talking point, declaring that the backlash against First Avenue is deserved.
“In the statement from its management, it says that ‘we believe in diverse voices and the freedom of artistic expression,’… which is clearly a lie if they’re canceling one of the most popular comedians in the world a mere two hours before his show,” Young told Fox News Digital.
He further explained, “The venue is taking a stand on a nonsense argument that Netflix was even willing to let its staff quit over – that Chappelle is ‘transphobic’ – when he clearly isn’t. If anyone watches his specials, you see that he was great friends with a trans comedian – which would be the exact opposite of being transphobic.”
Source: Slightly Offens*ve, YouTube
“This isn’t a venue or group of people taking a stand against something they don’t like – this is the far-left’s fascism in an attempt to gain importance,” Young added. “Ultimately, the venue owners and staff believe that if they are able to shut down the ability of a powerful and famous comedian like Dave Chappelle to speak, they have the same perceived power as them – when they never will.”
The comedian then asserted, “Comedy will continue beyond these venues that have failed their audience. Now Chappelle will have 30 to 45 minutes of material and conversation based off First Avenue’s behavior. We’ve seen how he’s handled this in the past, and he’s eviscerated this type of nonsense.”
“Comedy will always continue in America when leftists and venues like First Avenue continue to make a joke of themselves with this type of behavior,” Young concluded.
Source: Dave Chappelle: Equanimity (2017), Netflix
What do you make of Chappelle’s show being cancelled by the woke performance venue? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below or on social media.
More About:Celebrity Censorship