Dave Chappelle Show Canceled By Venue Hours Before Show After Receiving Backlash

Dave Chappelle is quite a controversial comedian, his fans love him regardless of that. The comic is no stranger to receiving backlash, in the past that hasn’t affected him much. Having said that, his showrunners are serious about canceling him this time.

A Dave Chappelle stand-up event in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was canceled only hours before the comedian was scheduled to perform. The iconic venue, First Avenue, was supposed to host the show. The theater is responsible for providing the stage to Prince’s legendary “Purple Rain.” 

After receiving backlash for hiring the comedian, First Avenue announced that they were canceling the Dave Chappelle event and shifting it to the Varsity Theater. The Venue addressed the situation in a lengthy Instagram post.

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,” the statement reads. “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. We believe in diverse voices and the freedom of artistic expression, but in honoring that, we lost sight of the impact this would have.

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The tickets for Chappelle’s event rapidly sold out when First Avenue announced the stand-up show. However, their social media pages were flooded with criticism of the 48-year-old comedian. Chappelle has had his share of controversy this earlier year after his Netflix special “The Closer” was condemned for transphobic humor. Most of the protests against him have always been his jokes against LGBTQ people.

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