John Mulaney has had a straight year of controversy since leaving his wife of six years for Olivia Munn last May, but a dedicated core of his fans have stuck by him through it all.
However, after ambushing the crowd at Ohio State University’s Value City Arena on Friday with a surprise opening set from transphobic comedian Dave Chappelle, it seems the goodwill of some fans may be dwindling.
Chappelle’s Netflix special The Closer from last October went especially hard with punching down at the trans community, and the ensuing controversy with Netflix is well-documented.
Mulaney on the other hand has drawn queer fans in for years with characters like Stefon on Saturday Night Live and light-hearted jokes like his New in Town bit comparing his childhood self to “a 67-year-old gay man who’s kind of over it.”
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His decision to bring Chappelle on as the opener on his “From Scratch” tour stop in Columbus, Ohio has those same fans feeling forsaken…
okay so tell me why I just went to the John Mulaney show and Dave Chappelle was a surprise opener and made not only a transphobic joke but a homophobic one
— maddie (@boobeoisie) May 21, 2022
if i was john mulaney i would maybe acknowledge the fact that a vast amount of my fanbase consists of queer young people and simply not openly be a chappelle supporter
— the people’s princess (@lif3aquatic) May 21, 2022
“don’t like chappelle’s transphobic material? don’t watch it” sure gets blown out of the water when he can just show up at a john mulaney show and fuck up your night
— dr caitlin green (offense archaologist) (@caitlinmoriah) May 23, 2022
I take back every defense I’ve made of John mulaney, very divorced of him to have Dave Chappelle open for him and tell a bunch of transphobic jokes. Elon Musk-esque. It’s serving moldy leftovers in the lunchbox in the office fridge.
— terminallytwee (@terminallytwee) May 21, 2022
Hey cis people can you please acknowledge that trans people should be able to go out for a laugh without being reminded our existence is constantly under attack? It was shitty of mulaney and shitty of chappelle.
— Max has Nightmare Eyes (@chaoticgaythey) May 21, 2022
dave chappelle is so pathetic and john mulaney is so weird for not only inviting him but then essentially co-signing his transphobia and bullshit by thanking him for his time being there. what a joke.
— sk (@kirkxxs) May 21, 2022
John Mulaney is dangerous to us for the same reason as Dave Chappelle, he’s offered the public a choice between the funny guy they know who makes them laugh, or disposing of trans people as valid beings with an interest in our own humanity
— Zinnia Jones (@ZJemptv) May 21, 2022
Most of all, queer fans seem to be hurt that they were made to experience Chappelle’s transphobia unexpectedly in a place they’d assumed would be safe from such discrimination.
Hopefully, Mulaney can handle the criticism from the queer community better than Chappelle himself has.
m
Stopped liking this a$$ ever since he started being a jacka$$ and not liking poor people living in his neighborhood.
CatholicXXX
“Poor people” we all know what that’s code for.
Polaro
Well we know “poor people” isn’t code for trans women. Actually, the only real hit that I think works with Chappelle is his horrible stance on blocking affordable housing the way he did.
Jay002
I think instead of attacking Dave Chappelle, he has said he is a friend to the LGBTQ community, these college students should invite him to campus and discuss his comedy. Dave Chappelle has made fun of everyone some of his funniest jokes were about R Kelly. Also I remember gays being made fun on episodes of the Golden Girls are you going to ban that show.
Cam
I love it when a troll account slips up and refers to LGBTQs as “you”.
Oooops, the trolls have gotten REALLY bad when they forget to pretend they aren’t straight when they come in here. LOL!!
Polaro
Ah, cam and his tin foil hat calling everyone a Russian bot or a right wing troll. Its was getting boring, but now its getting funny again.
Jaquelope
If the audience started booing these guys off the stage, at the offensive “jokes”, they might change their act. No heckling, just loud boos and no laughter.
aaronarnwine
I wouldn’t do that. The crowd is not there to hear people and their entitled a$$es booing the performer. They paid good money and the booers will be escorted out and laughed at… No one hired them to play censor.
Polaro
First they would have to bother to be there to listen to the jokes, which none of you cancel culture vultures have done. His special is there to watch, you haven’t. While the jokes might bruise your lit politics, the jokes, in context, are actually funny and people laugh. He’s a comedian; if the jokes don’t work, he’d stop telling them. But they do work and that makes you thought fascists implode. Find a real issue and stop being so offended, it really off putting.
ciasteczek
so this week woke snowflakes are going after Mulaney . Noted.
TomOH
Mulaney was never Stefon. Who the F is writing these articles? Is Qweerty outsourcing this shit to Fiverr?
John
Yeah. Bill Hader was Stefan. It would have taken seconds to fact check that. I guess Charlie Grey is too lazy to do that.
LeBlevsez
Mulaney co-created the character and wrote much of what we saw.
Sam
Hader said the words that Mulaney wrote. It was why Hader broke character so many times and couldn’t stop from laughing. Mulaney would throw stuff in that Hader wouldn’t see until he was reading it from the cards live on air.
Polaro
Hey, the entire purpose of the article was to inflame and demonize. Facts only help when you’re correct. The article doesn’t even provide a quote of material that was deemed offensive. You people should really be embarrassed at how easily triggered you are.
Mr. Stadnick
One could simply get up and go to the lobby and wait until Chappelle was finished retuning only after he left the stage.
Polaro
Or listen and see what he has to say to provide a foundation for an opinion…
Gnarfield
I would have been ecstatic if I found out Dave Chapelle was the surprise opener. IT’S COMEDY. Everyone is fair game to be made fun of. Dave Chapelle is not just basing trans people his whole set. Websites like Queerty need to stop villainizing comedians for doing their job, as soon we aren’t going to be able to joke about anything.
Cam
What a shock, ANOTHER new screename repeating the same comment the other troll name above used. Please try to get more creative.
Gnarfield
Bitch I’m not a bot
kevstar69
I enjoyed Chappelle’s special so much I watched it twice. If you’re so sensitive, you can’t have jokes made out you, then comedy isn’t for you.
And before I get accused of playing gay, I’m a card-carrying member of the community. I love my L’s and my G’s, I’m just not crazy about the B’s and the Ts. Do you like every gay person?
LeBlevsez
Gnarfield –
“… [S]oon we aren’t going to be able to joke about anything.” As long as you’re around, we’re guaranteed at least one thing to joke about.
kevstar69 –
What about us Qs? Take a stand, you waffler!
kish
“I love my L’s and my G’s, I’m just not crazy about the B’s and the Ts. Do you like every gay person?“
This is the dumbest comment ever.
BaltoSteve
Sweetie, no one accused you of being a bot. He called you a troll using multiple screen names. Please try and keep up.
BaltoSteve
@Kevstar, no, I don’t like EVERY gay person I know. However, I don’t dislike them because they are gay, it’s usually because they are a shitty person. Unlike your comment that alludes to the fact you don’t like those who are Bi and Trans strictly because they are Bi and Trans.
Gnarfield
Steve, I meant to say troll, but couldn’t delete or edit my comment on this website. I am sick of seeing Cam call anyone who goes against their opinion a troll. Not all gays think alike. And not all of us are easily triggered by comedians telling jokes.
UncleFloppy
Chappelle is a brilliant comedian and a shitty human being.
leo1008
Queerty is actively engaged in promoting Cancel Culture, and I find that sort of behavior unbelievably disappointing (not to mention more than a bit hypocritical) coming from homosexuals.
If you don’t like their comedy, don’t watch it. But stop trying to shut them down. We all benefit from living in an open society where we can all express ourselves freely no matter who is offended. If you try and take that freedom away from others, you’re ultimately taking it away from all of us (including yourself);
and, no, despite the absurd claims of trans activists, there is precisely nothing – nothing whatsoever – harmful in a joke. The activists who claim that they are traumatized by jokes from comedians then turn around and hurl the most horrendous invective at anyone who dares disagree with them. The hypocrisy is like nothing else I’ve ever seen before. It’s simply a head-spinning attempt at gaslighting.
THAT Steve
Cancel culture = holding people rresponsible what they say and do
Mattster
“ If you don’t like their comedy, don’t watch it”
Did you read the article? The issue here is that people paid to see John Mulaney, and were basically ambushed by a surprise appearance by Dave Chappelle. They did not buy tickets to see Chappelle, they wanted to see Mulaney, but got Chappelle, whether they wanted to or not.
IMO Dave Chappelle was one of the funniest and most trenchant comedians working, if not the best then certainly top five. Lately? Not so much. He keeps digging himself into a deeper and deeper hole attacking trans people, each time saying he’s done and that’s all he’s going to say about it. Beyond punching down, it’s just not very funny. I noticed his last special (least funny of all his work, IMO) had long stretches where the audience was not laughing during his diatribes either.
He clearly has an issue with trans people, and trans women in particular, and he should work that out with a therapist rather than onstage.
Polaro
Yeah, I read the article. A few people were offended that they were forced to listen to comedy. Was it a controversial move? Yeah. Is comedy controversial? Yeah. Take a deep breath and grow up, as Joan Rivers would advise if she weren’t dead.
Ronbo
Cam, I’m happy to see that you’ve stopped trying to claim that EVERY person who posts what you don’t understand is the same person. Everyone has a story and sometimes you can nudge them to understand YOU by stopping the bullshit (thank you), listening (you have work) and knowing that you are already a beautiful person.
It’s amazing to think that this beautiful love was illegal when I was young and we’ve advanced the compassion and understanding so very far. Too bad that some in our community feel that now is the time undo our progress and escalate hate. It’s paranoia that make people think that they are being laughed at instead of laughing with. Chill out and laugh at life’s complexities. Cryin just creates crybabies – not acceptance nor understanding
Edit* I see that Cam subsequently reprised his “You aren’t you, you are someone else” nonsense with Gnarfield. He holds that as tight as tRump holds onto lying about winning.
MrMichaelJ
Wow, how many troll accounts can you stuff into one thread.
It’s pretty simple about joke material. Just go ahead and replace a joke about black people in the same league as the transphobic or gay joke and see if it would fly.
99.9% of the time someone like Dave would have a f’n cow if the table got turned on him. Karma’s a b!tch dude.
leo1008
@MrMichaelJ: in other words, people here (and elsewhere) are so tired of cancellations that we’re speaking out more often against these absurd excesses.
For goodness sake, the Ukraine is in rubble, we just lived through a pandemic, and an ex-president of the USA is openly threatening Civil War, but let’s cancel comedians because they made a joke about trans people and that’s what really matters. Get the f*%k over yourself.
UlfRaynor
Clearly you’ve never watched Dave Chappelle because he has said far worse about black, white, Asian and Hispanic people.
Humor, at it’s core, is based in some pretty dark topics, the fact you don’t get that, demonstrates one thing, you have no sense of humor, just like Charlie Grey, the author of this racist hit piece.
Dave is also correct in calling out trans activist for being so thin skinned. I think he should include the fascist, goose stepping brown shirt enablers in the gay community and the cesspool that laughably passes itself off as a news site, Queerty, for their consistent antifeminism, homophobia and racism.
Jay002
Dave Chappelle makes fun of black people all the time, maybe some of you here what you want to hear. Remember the joke about the baby selling weed. It was a joke and everyone laughed.
scotty
humour is all these and more…derisive, satiric, often times offensive, frank, tragic, ironic and unironic and the main purpose is to inspire discussion and critical thinking. are you thinking yet? yes of course you are. but are you also rational ?
okiloki
Did anyone here actually watch the Dave Chappell show? Cause it wasn’t very offensive. It also wasn’t his funniest material either but either way it would be hard pressed to say the set was transphobic.
Polaro
Of course they did not watch the show They were told what to repeat to look virtuous.
Mattster
I’ve watched every episode of his show (most several times), and every special of his that’s aired, including his Block Party and his appearance on the Def Comedy Jam anniversary. I need no schooling on David Chappelle, or on comedy in general.
I disagree that his show (if you mean the Chappell Show on Comedy Central) was not his best material, I think much of it was among his best.
His latest Netflix specials have shown a noticeable decline in quality IMO. He is obsessed with trans people, and trans women in particular. He implies that trans women retreat to white privilege when confronted by a black man, ignoring the fact that black and Hispanic trans women are the most targeted people for violence in America, and worldwide.
He is hugely talented, only Chris Rock has given me more laughs than he has, and yes he can be thought-provoking. But the anti-trans rants he keeps doubling down on, along with his multi-hour “sets” at comedy clubs where he knocks all the other comics off the bill, indicate to me he is getting too absorbed in his own ego.
When a joke goes too far, especially when it isn’t funny, most comedians say “sorry, bad joke, didn’t mean any harm” and move on. He keeps on doubling down.
Joshua333
“It’s comedy.” There is a difference between humour and bigotry.
Polaro
You know its cancel culture vultures by the fact they are trying to destroy peoples’ careers over a comedy routine they did not even bother to watch. When you can’t laugh at yourself you become just like Donald Trump. This overreaching demand that people be canceled because you do not like what others told you they said is damaging to us as a society. Its also damaging to us at the polls. There is a reason they hate us…you and your nonsense.
Eternal.Cowboy
Nice example of a straw man argument.
No reason to worry about them hating you, their contempt will never match your self loathing.
Mattster
I haven’t seen any comments suggesting anyone be “cancelled”. And I have seen every special of David Chappelle’s; don’t assume no one here has. It’s a major release on a major streaming service, it’s not exactly secret.
People whine about “cancel culture” when they really mean “I should be allowed to spew bigotry in public without any consequence”. What Chappelle is experiencing is consequences of what he said, nothing more. Yes he has the right to say what he wants, others have the right to say what THEY want. That is how free speech works.
Demented posts like the one above talking about “jack-booted leftists” etc are really missing the point.
Paulie P
Redd Foxx, Don Rickles, Kathy Griffin, Wayland Flowers and Madame, Phyllis Diller, Joan Rivers, Totie Fields, Eddie Murphy, Lisa Lampanelli, ANY DRAG QUEEN etc etc etc all told/tell jokes that were off color, blue, etc and everyone laughed. And laughed. And laughed. Because they were funny. Gay you laughed, black you laughed, Asian you laughed. I still laugh.
Was I there at this concert no. Would I have laughed, most likely. Its a joke get the f over it.
Sqwoah
The feeling morally superiority is like crack to some people. That’s why they want every issue to be black and white. They get off on putting themselves on a pedestal and pointing their fingers at anybody with a differing opinion and dehumanizing them by calling them a bot or a troll account. Presenting them with differing opinions that haven’t been pre-approved by the HRC threatens their status as holier-than-thou and makes them lash out. It’s infantile.
Kangol2
What’s “infantile”–and criminal and treasonous–is attempting a coup when your psychopathic presidential cult leader Don the Con loses a federal election by over 7 million votes AND the electoral college! And yet you and so many still support that deranged, racist, misogynistic, anti-LGBTQ fanatic-supporting monster!
Terrycloth
The audience could have voiced their dislike of Dave. By not booing just everyone stand up and leave. Even.if you all wait in the lobby..when you return to your seat Dave comes back out do it again ! Or everyone stand and turn so your back is facing dave..love to see the audience do that
marxist_homo
Once again, Queerty attempting to manufacture an issue where one doesn’t exist. There are hordes of vocal trans-identified people on Twitter who love to whine about their feelings and gaslight the rest of us into believing that no other group in the history of the world has suffered like they do, but Twitter is not the real world: in the real world, trans-identified people make up *less than 1% of LGBT people* and an even smaller proportion of the general population.
If there were, as has been reported, ~12,000 people at the show, and if we take a generous estimate of .05% of the population who identify as trans, that means there were probably about 6 trans-identified people in the audience. A slight against 6 people is still a slight, but I think we could use some perspective.
Eternal.Cowboy
Ahhh so I can make a racist joke as long as the audience has mostly white. Or an antisemitic joke if there are no Jewish folks in the audience.
Thanks for providing the perspective of a raging idiot but we really didn’t need it.