Dave Chappelle is speaking out on the killing of George Floyd in an emotional new stand-up special.
Netflix has dropped a surprise half-hour special from Chappelle on YouTube called 8:46, a reference to how long a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on Floyd's neck. Filmed just days ago, the special sees Chappelle launch into the topic on everyone's mind right from the top, saying he's "very proud" of those who have been doing "amazing work" protesting police brutality.
The comedian, illustrating how long 8 minutes and 46 seconds is, then tells a story about once thinking he was going to die during a "terrifying" earthquake that only lasted about 35 seconds.
Subscribe to 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.
"This man kneeled on a man's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds!" Chappelle says. "Can you imagine that? This kid thought he was going to die. He knew he was going to die. He called for his mother. ... And for some reason that I still don't understand, all these f---ing police had their hands in their pockets. Who are you talking to? What are you signifying, that you can kneel on a man's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds and feel like you wouldn't get the wrath of God?"
Chappelle reflects on the fact that he couldn't bring himself to watch the video of Floyd's killing for a week, but when he did, "I understood, nobody's going home. Anyone who sees this, well, they're going to be furious."
But Chappelle also blasts those like CNN's Don Lemon who had been calling for celebrities to address Floyd's death, asking, "do you want to see a celebrity right now? ... No, this is the streets talking for themselves. They don't need me right now." He concludes the special by reiterating, "These streets will speak for themselves, whether I am alive or dead." Watch the full special free on YouTube below. Brendan Morrow
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
Sudoku medium: August 23, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Sudoku hard: August 23, 2025The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
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
