Upon the release of Dave Chappelle's Netflix special, The Closer, back in October of 2021, the legendary stand-up comedian was immediately met with backlash and scathing reviews for his lewd jokes about the transgender community, more specifically, his late friend and fellow comedian Daphne Dorman. Although two years have passed since The Closer was on the precipice of controversy in Hollywood, Wanda Sykes recently revealed why she was offended by the anti-trans jokes featured in Chappelle's 72-minute stand-up comedy special.
In an interview with Variety, the 59-year-old comedian also explained why her new special with Netflix, I'm An Entertainer, is far more trans-friendly than her comedic counterpart.
“I knew that it’s such a delicate issue to talk about. I’m not trans, but they have my support, 100%,” Wanda said. “I wanted to find something where I can shine some light on what they’re going through, to show how just stupid and hateful it is. I was in a woman’s bathroom one time, and I was like, ‘Who would want to come in here anyway? It was like, I kind of want to go check out the men’s room. Sometimes, it’s even cleaner.’ And that’s how that whole bit started. I’ve always just been grossed out by bathrooms.”
She continued: “I think what [Dave Chappelle] said was so hurtful and damaging to the trans community. So yeah, the scale is still tipped, I will say, in their favor. But I know I wanted to say something, because so much has been said on that platform. I definitely want to say something on the other side of it.”
Source: Complex
Source: complex.com
