Comedian Dave Chappelle continues to push buttons with his new Netflix special, in which he quickly begins making fun of Michael Jackson's accusers and dismissing their allegations.
After railing against easily-offended audiences, Chappelle in his special Sticks & Stones brings up the recent HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, which focuses on Wade Robson and James Safechuck's allegations of sexual abuse against the late pop star.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
After drawing applause for that statement, Chappelle jokes that he is "what's known on the streets as a victim-blamer," imagining himself asking when being told Jackson molested children, "Well, what were those kids wearing at the time?"
Chappelle then launches into a bit making fun of Jackson's accusers and saying that "somebody's got to teach these kids there's no such thing as a free trip to Hawaii." But he makes clear his position is not a joke, saying "I don't think he did it" and pointing to the fact that Macaulay Culkin has said Jackson did not abuse him as evidence.
The comedian has previously voiced similar opinions about Jackson, The Washington Post notes, in a 2004 special also saying "I don't think he did it" before walking that back by deciding this is "too strong" of a statement and that he is instead "reserving judgment until all the facts come out."
Chappelle throughout the hour also comes to comedian Louis C.K.'s defense while continuing to make jokes about transgender people, which he came under fire for in his previous Netflix specials. All of this comes as Chappelle decries "celebrity hunting season" and prepares to be made a target himself, saying, "Look, I don't think I did anything wrong. But we'll see."
-
5 tinfoil-covered cartoons about Tylenol and autismCartoons Artists take on the toys in RFK Jr's attic, the war on autism, and more
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide cybercrime crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
How to ditch ‘buy now, pay later’ debtthe explainer Recent changes mean BNPL will soon affect your credit score
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
