Dave Chappelle is unquestionably one of the most known faces in the comedy world and has been for the past 3 decades. With a large amount of awards under his belt and a career to back it up, it was no surprise to hear Dave Chappelle’s name at an award show.
This week, Chapelle brought home 3 Create Arts Emmy’s for his stand up special ‘Sticks & Stones,’ and his second Primetime Emmy award for “Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special.” Despite its acclaim this week, the stand up special was not met with acclaim. In fact, the piece still has an average of 35% on Rotten Tomatoes. As Chappelle sites in his speech, he was harrased for months as a result with critics claiming “his career is over” and “he has lost all comedic touch.”
This award contradiction was not ignored in Chapelle’s acceptance speech for this week’s virtual Emmy Awards. Immediately the comedian says “I hope all you critics learn from this. This is a teachable moment. Shut the f*ck up forever.” He sites every moment of cruel criticism before going on to praise his peers. He use the experience to remind other artists to ignore the common and harsh criticism they will face. He does not miss a beat of the platform, using each moment for something meaningful. His speech bites back while supporting the unheard or mistreated around him.
