Dave Chappelle has once again addressed the controversy and backlash that ensued following the comments he made about the trans community on his Netflix comedy special, The Closer.
In a video shared on Instagram on Monday, the comedian said that though he’s willing to talk to LGBTQ workers of the video streaming company as well as the other people aggrieved by his comments on the special, he said he won’t be taking back his words.
“It was said in the press that I was invited to speak to the transgender employees of Netflix and I refused. That is not true,” the 48-year-old said, according to PEOPLE.
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“If they invited me, I would have accepted it, although I’m confused about what we’re speaking about,” he added. “I said what I said. And, boy, I heard what you said. My God, how could I not? You said you want a safe working environment at Netflix. Well, it seems like I’m the only one that can’t go to the office anymore.”
Chappelle’s special, which was released on Netflix this month, was heavily criticized over jokes he made about trans women. He was also called out for supporting J.K. Rowling. The popular author was labeled as transphobic over past comments.
In the wake of the backlash, however, the streaming giant threw its weight behind the comedian, prompting some employees to stage a walkout. But Chappelle, in the video, said he doesn’t point “blame” at the LGBTQ community for the backlash. He said, “it’s about corporate interest.”
“For the record, and I need you to know this. Everyone I know from that community has been nothing but loving and supporting,” he claimed. “So I don’t know what all this nonsense is about.”
And though Chappelle also reiterated he’s willing to have a conversation with the transgender community, he emphasized it’s going to be on his terms. “To the transgender community, I am more than willing to give you an audience, but you will not summon me. I am not bending to anybody’s demands,” he said.
“And if you want to meet with me, I’d be more than willing to, but I have some conditions. First of all, you cannot come if you have not watched my special from beginning to end. You must come to a place of my choosing at a time of my choosing. And thirdly, you must admit that Hannah Gadsby is not funny.”
Gadsby is a queer Australian comedian.
