Dave Chappelle faces further backlash after old high school visit: ‘I’m better than all of you’

Dave Chapelle, the US comedian under fire for controversial comments about the trans community made during his Netflix special The Closer, has attracted further controversy after he told students at his old high school that he was “better than all of you”.

It comes after Chappelle labelled himself a “Terf” during the comedy show, which hit the streaming platform in October. Terf stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist.

He told the audience: “They cancelled J. K. Rowling – my God. Effectively, she said gender was a fact, the trans community got mad as s***, they started calling her a Terf.

“I am team Terf. I agree.

“I agree, man. Gender is a fact.”

In the same segment, the 48-year-old went on to add that he was “not saying that to say trans women aren’t women” and that “people who watch my specials would know that I never had a problem with transgender people”.

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Netflix employees staged a walkout over the decision to air the special, while its co-chief executive Ted Sarandos backed Chappelle in an internal memo, writing that it did not cross “the line on hate”.

The comic later said that he was “more than willing” to give the trans community “an audience”, but added that he would not be “summoned”.

“I am not bending to anybody’s demands,” he said.

Now, the comedian has sparked further controversy after he reportedly told students at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, based in Washington D.C., that he was “better” than them.

According to Politico, Chapelle responded to a question from one of the roughly 580 students in the audience by saying, “I’m better than every instrumentalist, artist… No matter what art you do in this school, right now, I’m better than all of you.

“I’m sure that will change. I’m sure you’ll be household names soon.”

Yikes. Talk about a backhanded compliment…

When another student called him a “bigot”, who “handled [the backlash] like a child”, Chappelle allegedly replied: “My friend, with all due respect, I don’t believe you could make one of the decisions I have to make on a given day.”

Politico also published claims that Chappelle used the n-word when answering a comment from one student who said his comedy “kills”.

One parent, who was not named, told the outlet: “He was being dead serious and using the n-word on the record. What kind of judgement is the school showing to allow that?”

Chappelle’s comments have since sparked further criticism, with many pointing out that he was arguing with actual children:

Following the incident, Chappelle’s spokesperson Carla Sims said: “They are complaining that he talked and said the n-word.

“If anything, Dave is putting the school on the map.”

A Duke Ellington spokesperson said: “During the conversation with students and staff, Chappelle specifically invited the voices of discontent to ask questions, however as a result, the supporters of Chappelle became the silent majority.

“Our principal was approached by several students after the assembly who were disappointed that they were not able to voice their support for Chappelle in this forum.”

Chappelle has been a big supporter of the school over the years, donating $100,000 and donating one of his Emmy Awards in 2017.