Joe Rogan defends Dave Chappelle over being “cancelled” for Netflix controversy

During the JRE podcast, Joe Rogan reacted to Dave Chappelle being cancelled over his controversial Netflix special The Closer. The UFC commentator defended the stand-up comedian’s joke as being “fun.” 

On October 5, 2021, Dave Chappelle released his sixth and final Netflix special, The Closer. The comedian immediately came under fire from critics after several of his jokes were offensive towards the LGBTQIA+ community.

Reacting to the firestorm, Joe Rogan argued that Chappelle was taken out of context as he made fun of “everyone.” The popular UFC commentator also slammed those equating jokes with hatred.

Joe Rogan defends Dave Chappelle’s controversial Netflix jokes

On October 19, the Spotify host addressed his friend Dave Chappelle being cancelled over his October Netflix special. “He’s just riding out the storm. He’s not a homophobic or transphobic person. He makes fun of himself. It’s fun, it’s just making jokes. That doesn’t mean hate,” he said in defence of the comic.

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He continued, “This is the problem with today. If you don’t have an enemy, you make an enemy. As the level of people who truly hates you drops, you start looking for equilibrium and what you are upset about. And so now you’re more upset about jokes. Now silence is violence. And now you can’t just be this, you have to be that.”

Rogan then praised Chappelle and argued that he isn’t capable of hate. “If you get down to Dave Chappelle’s real feelings, he’s a lovely person,” he said. “He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my life. He loves everybody. He’s not a hateful soul. He’s just a guy that loves this art form called stand-up comedy.”

The JRE creator said that those who found his jokes hateful didn’t pay attention. “Whether you agree with him or not, if you just really pay attention to the overall message, it is in no way transphobic. It’s just not,” he said. “It becomes this weird control level. The concept that there are ideas you can’t make fun of, is dangerous. It’s not good for anybody.”

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Rogan also claimed some of the people upset were groups trying to take Chappelle down: “He is clearly the most popular comedian on planet earth. So obviously a lot of f**king people like him. So what you want is people to not have access to him. If you want Netflix to take it down, and you say its hateful, this is an incorrect way to do this.”

Former and current Netflix employees plan to walk out in protest of Dave Chappelle on October 20. The event is largely aimed at the streaming giant’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos who defended the comedian’s special.