Netflix
Oh, hell yes. This is the type of news I needed to power me through this Thursday. Now, I have an excuse to rewatch all of Dave Chappelle’s old standups, because his newest one, Sticks & Stones, will be dropping on Netflix on Monday, August 26!
The trailer, which Netflix just dropped on Thursday morning, is hilariously narrated by Morgan Freeman as Chappelle walks through a desert landscape.
“This is Dave. He tells jokes for a living. Hopefully he makes people laugh. But these days, it’s a high stakes game. How did we get here, I wonder?” Freeman echoes.
“I don’t mean that metaphorically, I’m really asking: how did Dave, get *here*? What the fuck is this? But, what do I know? I’m just Morgan Freeman. Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to say is: if you say anything, you risk everything. But, if that’s the way it’s gotta be, okay, fine, fuck it. He’s back folks.”
The voiceover is obviously a reference to the sections of the internet that have taken issue with Chappelle’s recent standup specials, specifically his jokes about transgender people.
Clearly taking a defiant stance, the legendary Chappelle’s Show creator seems intent on sticking to his comedic integrity and will likely address the criticism lodged against him head-on in Sticks & Stones. This wouldn’t be the first time Chappelle responds to his critics directly, as he did so in Equanimity in late 2017.
“In Equanimity, he attempted to atone in his roundabout way by reading a letter from a trans fan who chastised the jokes. Trying to pull the long bit together, Chappelle explained his difficulty empathizing with the “talk of how one feels inside” led by white men, noting that the majority historically hasn’t cared about the feelings of minority men and women.” [USA Today]
Sticks & Stones is Chappelle’s fifth standup special to air exclusively on Netflix, following the extremely successful release of Deep in the Heart of Texas, The Age of Spin, Equanimity and The Bird Revelation. Chappelle signed a massive $60 million contract with Netflix back in 2016.