Hours before Dave Chappelle was set to take the stage of Minnesota’s First Avenue venue, they pulled the plug on the sold-out show.
Management for the venue canceled the show after receiving an overwhelming amount of backlash over the legendary comedian’s “transphobic” remarks and they issued an apology for opening their doors to Dave.
First Avenue released the following statement:
The Dave Chappelle show tonight at First Avenue has been cancelled and is moving to the Varsity Theater.
To staff, artists, and our community, we hear you and we are sorry. We know we must hold ourselves to the highest standard, and we know we let you down.
We are to 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 will not agree with this decision; you are welcome to send feedback.
If you are a ticket holder, look for an email with information on your ticket(s) transferring to the show at Varsity Theater.
See the original statement below.
People have taken to Twitter with reactions to the cancellation of Dave’s show.
One person tweeted, “Shoutout to the staff at First Avenue that threatened to walk out if the venue didn’t cancel Dave Chapelle’s show at the venue. Transphobia does not deserve a platform, even if it masquerades as ‘comedy’ or ‘opinion.’”
Another person wrote, “Thoughts and prayers to Dave Chapelle, forced to switch his show from First Avenue to another venue. How will anyone get to hear his voice unless they buy a ticket to see him before it sells out? This cancel culture censorship is out of control!”
Read more tweets below.
In spite of the outrage, Dave Chappelle’s controversial Netflix stand-up comedy special, “The Closer,” recently received two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Directing For A Variety Special and Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded).
