American comedian, Dave Chappelle has refused having his name attached to a new performing arts theater at his former high school, Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington D.C.
This is coming following some of the student backlash he received due to his controversial Netflix comedy special, ‘The Closer,’ when it was announced late last year that the theatre will be named in honour of him.
Dave Chappelle was however present for the dedication ceremony for the theater where he announced that the building will no longer be named after him.
Dave Chapelle Declines To Have His Alma Mata Theater Named After Him [VIDEO]
The comedian announced during the dedication ceremony that the theater will now be called the Theater for Artistic Freedom and Expression instead.
While speaking to the audience, he used the opportunity to address the backlash he received due to his comedy special and reportedly said that it sincerely hurt him.
He said he feels the backlash was not about his work, and he didn’t want the name of the theater to deflect the students from focusing on their art.
Just so you know, last November, Dave Chappelle was scheduled to appear at a fundraiser that was created to raise money for the building.
However, his appearance was postponed after students at the school threatened to walk out in protest.
The postponement occurred as the comedian faced backlash from the LGBTQ+ community due to his transphobic and homophobic jokes he featured on his comedy special ‘The Closer.’
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