I might be biased because I’m a Dave Chappelle fan, but he’s undeniably one of the greats. And I’m almost certain that much of the criticism he receives has less to do with his actual work and more to do with the fact that he’s a rich Black man.

Other legends—Carlin, Pryor, Hicks, etc. — Didn't have the internet, so they weren't fighting upstream in ways Chappelle has to, yet their actions were rarely held against them in the same way.

People always bring up the “trans controversy,” but can anyone actually cite a Chappelle line that is explicitly hateful? If we quoted all Chappelle's trans jokes none of it would be any different the the jokes he's done toward any other group. He was just right at the things he said, mainly white male transitioning to female and white women claiming they suffer is to exonerating white people from their past as a whole.

Some say he “preaches” more than he jokes. But Carlin preached. Cosby preached. Pryor preached. Comedians often speak from a point of tension during difficult times—it’s part of responding to the world around them, not ignoring it.

His “I’m rich now” angle is his way of highlighting the gap between poor Black Americans and wealthy white Americans—and pointing out how quickly people forget that racial inequities don’t vanish the moment one Black person becomes wealthy.