First Avenue released a statement saying they were canceling Dave Chappelle’s show and moving it to the Varsity Theater after facing backlash for booking the comedian.
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Chappelle was supposed to perform at First Avenue Wednesday at 8 p.m., but the venue released a statement just four hours before the show was supposed to start. The venue reportedly canceled the show due to the scrutiny Chappelle faced over jokes he made about the trans community in a Netflix special that critics say are transphobic.
We hear you. Tonight’s show has been cancelled at First Avenue and is moving to the Varsity Theater. See our full statement for more. pic.twitter.com/tkf7rz0cc7
— First Avenue (@FirstAvenue) July 20, 2022
First Avenue’s statement reads: “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 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. We know there are some who would not agree with this decision; you are welcome to send feedback.”
RELATED:Dave Chappelle Refuses To Have His Name Attached To High School Theater After Backlash
Dave Chappelle has been very vocal about the controversy of his stand up, ‘The Closer’ the comedian said in his new special that he spoke with a group of kids to hear what they had to say about the backlash he received. According to Chappelle, “All the kids were screaming and yelling. I remember, I said to the kids, I go, ‘Well, OK, well what do you guys think I did wrong?’ And a line formed. These kids said everything about gender, and this and that and the other, but they didn’t say anything about art.”
He added, “And this is my biggest gripe with this whole controversy with ‘The Closer’: That you cannot report on an artist’s work and remove artistic nuance from his words.
#Socialites how are we feeling about First Venue canceling Dave’s show?