Dave Chappelle comedy show nixed by Minneapolis venue amid criticism

Dave Chappelle was set to appear Wednesday night at the Minneapolis venue First Avenue for a comedy show but it was nixed amid criticism for booking Chappelle over the controversy regarding his jokes about the transgender community in his Netflix special The Closer.

Hours before the show began, First Avenue’s Instagram account posted a statement that announced Chappelle’s performance would now be taking place at the Varsity Theater, also in Minneapolis, where the comedian has already been scheduled to perform two sets on both Thursday and Friday. You can read some of their statement below!

“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 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.”

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It would appear that, from the statement, some of the staff, artists, and other individuals from the community that goes to the venue took issue with Chappelle appearing due to some of the controversies surrounding some of his jokes. It’s fair for a venue to make this decision, but to say they believe in artistic expression and then cancel a performance over someone’s artistic expression seems odd. I also wonder what the difference is between First Avenue and the Varsity Theater since they’re both in Minneapolis. I’m assuming the Varsity Theater didn’t get many complaints about Chappelle which means the show must go on, even if it’s not at the venue as planned.

As of this writing, Chappelle nor his people have commented on the cancellation. What are YOUR thoughts on First Avenue canceling Dave Chappelle’s comedy show amid criticism?