Dave Chappelle’s comedy show cancelled by venue over controversy hours before he was due to perform

metro.co.uk:

JK Rowling’s comments about transgender people, and said: ‘Gender is a fact.’Sharing a statement on Instagram, venue First Avenue said they were cancelling Chappelle’s performance as they have a mission to ‘make [their] venues the safest spaces in the country’.The statement read: ‘The Dave Chappelle show tonight at First Avenue has been cancelled and is moving to the Varsity Theater.‘To staff, artists, and our community, we hear you and we are sorry.

We know we must hold ourselves to the highest standards and we now we let you down.‘We are not just a black box with people in it and we understand that First Ave is not just a room, but meaningful beyond our walls. ‘The First Avenue team and you have worked hard to make our venues the safest space in the country and we will continue with that mission. ‘We believe in diverse voices and freedom of artistic expression but in honouring that, we lost sight of the impact this would have.

We know there are some who will not agree with this decision. You are welcome to send feedback.‘If you are a ticket holder, look for an email with information on your ticket(s) transferring to the show at Varsity Theater.’Chappelle, 48, has not publicly commented on the cancellation, but has previously defended his jokes.Last year, Chappelle suggested that the backlash was down to ‘corporate interests’ and said that the members of the LGBTQ+ community that he knows have been supportive of him.‘I want everyone in this audience to know that even though the media frames it that it’s me versus that community, that’s not what it is,’ he said.‘Do not blame the LGBTQ community for any of this.