In a new (and surprise) Netflix comedy special, Dave Chappelle is back and as usual, has his finger on the pulse of America. In the special 8:46, which was uploaded to YouTube for free on Thursday evening, the iconic comedian discusses the national protests stemming from George Floydโs death and a slew of other pressing topics. The special was filmed on June 6 in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and the attendees adhered to social distancing guidelines, wearing facemasks throughout the set. (He has performed similar gigs around Dayton, Ohio since then.)
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The comedian told the audience that he truly doesnโt have words to describe his feelings about Floydโs murder at the hands of police this past Memorial Day. But he doesnโtย mince words about the cops involved in his death and shares that not only does the specialโs title reference the amount of time it took for Derek Michael Chauvin to kill Floyd, but that itโs also the time Chappelle was born.
โFor some reason that I still donโt understand, all these fucking police had their hands in their pockets,โ he says. โWho are you talking to? What are you signifying? That you can kneel on a manโs neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds and feel like you wouldnโt get the wrath of God?...Thatโs what is happening right now. Itโs not for a single cop, itโs for all of it.โ
Chappelle also shouts out young people who are protesting, leading the charge, and doing โamazing work.โ (โKids are excellent drivers, I am comfortable in the backseat of the car, so carry on, young ones.โ) And in typical Chappelle fashion, he eviscerates a few high-profile people, places and thingsโsuch as institutions โthat lie to us,โ as well as conservative media personalities Candace Owens (who he calls โthe most articulate idiotโ) and Laura Ingraham (who he says is โa regular-ass white bitch with a platformโ).
โ[The black community] didnโt choose [Floyd] [as a hero], you did,โ he says in reference to Owens pulling up George Floydโs criminal record for a video. โ[The cops] killed him, and that wasnโt right, so heโs the guy...Weโre not desperate for heroes in the black community. Any nigga who survives this nightmare is my Goddamned hero.โ
Elsewhere in the set, he discusses how Kobe Bryantโs death affected him, his connection to the Chris Dorner shooting spree of 2013, and more. Watch the special below.
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