Award-winning comedian Dave Chappelle made a surprise appearance at fellow award-winning comedians Chris Rock and Kevin Hart’s recent NYC show at Madison Square Garden (MSG).
According to reports, Chappelle made his surprise appearance at Hart and Rock’s joint “Only Headliners Allowed” comedy tour show at MSG on July 23. He reportedly walked on stage without an introduction while smoking a cigarette.
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“Had to sneak my way in here,” he hilariously said to a roaring audience. The 48-year-old showed up just days after he was forced to move his Minneapolis show to another venue due to the space facing backlash for booking him. The popular venue, First Avenue, faced harsh criticism for booking Chappelle as he was accused of being homophobic and transphobic after his Netflix special, The Closer aired in 2021.
“Despite what you may have read about in the news, I’m OK, and I appreciate the support,” He told the MSG crowd in reference to the controversy surrounding his special. He added that he “gets it” but continued saying, “I already spent the money.”
Chappelle also made jokes about being attacked by 23-year-old audience member, Isaiah Lee, at the Hollywood Bowl back in May. He reportedly blamed his bodyguards for “wearing dress shoes” and “sliding all over the place like at a bowling alley” at the time of the incident.
The Washington D.C. native then called out the New York Post for calling the attack “alleged” even though it was captured on video. He even accused the news outlet of urging Lee to say that Chappelle’s comedic material triggered him.
On July 24, Hart took to Instagram to express how exhilarated he was about the MSG show, calling it “epic.”
“Last night was by far the best moment of my career….I can’t even explain it…I can’t find the words…Just know that last night was the true definition of an ‘EPIC NIGHT,'” he wrote. “I love my brothers more than words can explain. What we did to the Garden will never be done again….We made history last night!!!!!!!! #ComedicRockStarShit #RockHartChappelle.”
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In other Chappelle news, the comedy veteran is set to perform with Rock for a joint comedy show in the U.K. on Sept. 3.
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