Is Dave Chappelle Out of Touch?

Outrage and perspective are always a coupled duo. They generally don’t get along based on the outcome, but they’re kissing cousins on the road to the end result. And for Dave Chappelle and his new comedy special The Dreamer, both are on the menu–it just depends on where you land with his brand of comedy.

Working in front of his hometown of Washington, D.C., Chappelle performs what is now his signature firebrand act: making jokes that people on the left will cringe over while people on the right will love. Sure, he’ll tell some long stories and smoke a cigarette or two in the process, but in the end, you’re getting the guy who, no matter what you think about him, keeps winning cultural awards despite his takes on social issues. Does he make the predictable trans jokes? Yes. Does he find new ways to punch down? Yep. Does he offer some interesting cultural criticisms that are worth conversation? Yes, he does that, too.

But those two points aside, there’s a more significant action item: what Dave Chappelle does now that his Netflix deal is over.

A weird paradox happens when anyone gets too famous: they stop living in a world like the rest of us. Sure, some outliers work obsessively on their craft–Chappelle is one of these people, but his perspective is just a bit out of touch for the guy who cleans toilets for a living and saved up to hear his favorite comedian. During pieces of The Dreamer, there are odd moments; those times when as much as Chappelle doesn’t love that he’s within the Hollywood world, he kinda is.

Case in point, there’s a moment where he talks about Chris Rock and the slap about how Rock would only take his call before Oprah. There are many nods to the fact that he has multiple famous friends. Even the end of the special feels self-aggrandizing, a black-and-white montage of photos with friends like Eddie Murphy and Mike Tyson, folks we all can dial up on a Tuesday.

The feeling of the Chappelle Show days’ street spirit is long gone. It’s weird to think that the show was only on for two seasons, and those aired two decades ago. Those sketches remain in the cultural zeitgeist because there were no personal jets or sold-out stadium shows. The sketches on Chappelle’s Show were brilliant, and people still quote them today. When it comes to the standup specials, there’s a plethora of good jokes within them; that’s undeniable.

Since 2017, Chappelle has fixated on the whole trans thing, which is, you made the joke and owned the backlash, but at this point, he’s still doing them for effect. What’s next? Does the salve need to be a few years away from the spotlight again? Maybe using not having a deal in place like a ticking clock? There are other famous comedians who choose to work their sets endlessly before releasing the current batch out in the wild. (Say what you want about it, but I saw Joe Rogan work his upcoming special’s set countless times till he got the jokes right. He also works every night at his club, The Mothership.)

What matters is that the jokes land; sometimes they do, and sometimes they don’t. It’s all from the perspective of the person watching. Does the special suck? No. Is it worth your time? That depends on what you’re looking for to laugh. If you’re me and looking for something to invest your time in, I highly suggest watching Cancel Holtzman by Brian Holtzman. Go watch a guy who’s working for the clubs, working his ass off every night, crafting the jokes that hit but also make the audience think–even if they’re outraged.