Dave Chappelle has surprised comedy fans with a new stand-up special. On Thursday night, Netflix released 8:46 , Chappelle’s new half-hour special, on its YouTube channel for free. The comedian discusses George Floyd’s death in the special, which was filmed on June 6 in front of a socially-distanced crowd wearing face masks.
In the special, Chappelle said that he’s still working on how to address Floyd’s death.
“This man kneeled on a man’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds — can you imagine that?” Chappelle said near the beginning of the special.
That question, and the title of the special, refer to the amount of time a police officer knelt on Floyd’s neck, killing him.
“… When I watched that tape, I understood that man knew he was gonna die,” Chappelle continued.
He said that, while he didn’t want to make things too heavy, he felt that “we gotta say something.”
“I can’t tell you, as a man watching another man go through something like that, what it makes you feel like,” he explained.
Chappelle also said that 8:46 was the time of his birth, which made Floyd’s death even more impactful for him. He also addressed critics who wondered why he hadn’t discussed Floyd’s death sooner.
“Because David Chappelle understands what the f*ck he is seeing, and these streets will speak for themselves whether I am alive or dead,” he said in response to the question.
The comedian also discussed Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who had previously told Lebron James that he should “shut up and dribble” after James offered political opinions, but recently defended Drew Brees when he decided to voice his political views. Chappelle pointed out the difference between the two reactions.
In the notes attached to the special, Chappelle urged caution from his fans. He wrote that, ordinarily, he would not share something as “unrefined” as this special, but asked for their understanding. The show ends with a montage of recent protests that have spawned around the world in response to Floyd’s death.
Chappelle is just the latest celebrity to use their platform to speak out about racial injustice in the United States. Many celebrities have used social media to reaffirm their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, and late-night talk show hosts have also used their shows to express support for the protests. Hosts like Jimmy Kimmel also went after the president, saying that Donald Trump had to be removed from office in order for the turmoil in the country to die down.
