Just hours before Dave Chappelle was slated to go on stage on Wednesday, the venue canceled his performance in response to complaints from critics who had taken issue with the comedian’s remarks regarding the transgender community. According to Reuters, the venue, First Avenue in Minneapolis, Minnesota, said on its website that Chappelle’s performance will be moved to the city’s Varsity Theater, where he was already scheduled to perform twice.
First Avenue announced the show earlier this week, which quickly sparked outrage on social media. Following the announcement, the venue’s Twitter account was slammed with detractors denouncing the decision to schedule the comedian, with some citing the establishment’s code of conduct as a reason not to book the comedian. The policy states, “The following behavior is not welcome at First Avenue venues: Acting or speaking in a discriminatory manner or using racist, sexist, ableist, transphobic, homophobic, xenophobic, or other biased language including intentional misgendering.”
The venue later stated, “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 Avenue is not just a room, but meaningful beyond our walls.”
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
The statement continued, “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 will not agree with this decision; you are welcome to send feedback.”
Last year, Chappelle faced criticism for his Netflix comedy special “The Closer,” because of content that some in the LGBTQ+ community said made fun of transgender people.
