Dave Chappelle has addressed the killing of George Floyd and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests in a set that took place in Ohio earlier this month (June 2020).
The video, titled 8:46, was filmed 6 June, at his Dave Chapelle and Friends: A Talk with Punchlines show, in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and was shared on Netflix’s YouTube channel on Friday (June 12, 2020).
(NSFW)
Throughout the performance Chappelle referenced the 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the length of time former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck during his attempted arrest, eventually killing him.
“I can’t get that number out of my head because it was my time of birth on my birth certificate,” Chappelle said. “I was born at 8:46 in the morning and they killed this n***a in 8 minutes and 46 seconds.”
He also blasted CNN broadcaster Don Lemon for calling out celebrities for not speaking out on George Floyd murder.
“I’m watching Don Lemon…he says where are these celebrities?… Has anyone listened to me do comedy, has anyone not listened to me say these things before?
“So now all of a sudden this n****a expects me to step in front of the streets and talk over the work these people are doing as a celebrity…This is the streets talking for themselves, they don’t need me right now,” he continued. “Why would anyone care what their favorite comedian thinks when they saw a police officer kneel on a man’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.”
Chappelle later took aim at conservative commentator Candace Owens for characterizing Floyd as a criminal, calling her a “rotten b*tch” and “the worst”.
“I can’t think of a worse way to make money,” he blasted. “She’s the most articulate idiot I have ever seen in my f**king life. She’s so articulate that she’ll tell you how f**king stupid she is.”
The 46-year-old’s show was the first in-person, concert/comedy show in the U.S. since Covid-19. Social distancing was observed with attendees seated in pairs, and wearing masks, with no alcohol available to encourage adherence to the rules.
