Dave Chappelle reveals celebrities left 'dirty notes' at the White House for Trump staff


It was celebrities all along.
Comedian Dave Chappelle has revealed in a new interview that "dirty notes" left for former President Donald Trump's staff at the White House, which Trump officials apparently thought were from aides to former President Barack Obama, were actually put there by celebrities.
White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham in 2019 claimed that when Trump officials came into the White House, "we had notes left behind that said 'you will fail,' 'you aren't going to make it.'" Former Obama officials seemed to have no idea what she was talking about, and now, Chappelle has shed some light on why, claiming the true culprit was a group of unnamed celebrities who were at the White House for an event before Trump took office.
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.
"Remember when the Trump administration moved in, they said, 'the Obama staff left dirty notes for us in all the drawers and all the cabinets,'" Chappelle explained. "Now, I saw this happening. I'm not going to say who did it, but it was celebrities writing all this crazy s--- and putting them all over there."
So there you go: mystery solved. Chappelle has evidently been enjoying being among the only people with clarity on the situation, noting that when he saw the story hit the news, "I laughed real hard." Brendan Morrow
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Thieves nab French crown jewels from Louvre
Speed Read A gang of thieves stole 19th century royal jewels from the Paris museum’s Galerie d’Apollon
-
Bolivia elects centrist over far-right presidential rival
Speed Read Relative political unknown Rodrigo Paz, a centrist senator, was elected president
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ rallies
Speed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literature
Speed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91
Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed 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 ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed 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 view
Speed 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 talk
Speed 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