While Dave Chappelle has made headlines for the controversial remarks in his Netflix special, The Closer, his high school alma mater, will move forward and name the school theater after him.
According to the Daily Caller, Chappelle’s former high school, Duke Ellington School of the Arts, located in Washington, D.C., released a statement regarding the decision on Sunday.
“Recently, Dave Chappelle, via his Instagram page, challenged those who both support and oppose the decision to name the theatre at Duke Ellington School of the Arts after him through a fundraising contest.”
“While we appreciate Dave’s impromptu and spirited fundraising initiative, we stand behind our decision to honor the wishes of our co-founder, the late Peggy Cooper Cafritz, to name the theatre after Chappelle,” the statement added.
“All donations will go towards arts programming, and every donor, irrespective of their support or opposition to the theater naming, will receive an official thank you from our team,” the statement continued.
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The school detailed how much Chappelle loved his alma mater and the students while stating the reports from his surprise visit to the school were “inaccurate.”
“While there has been extensive media coverage about the theatre naming and Chappelle’s most recent visit to the school, the source stories that have gone viral have been inaccurate, devoid of context, and neglected to include the nuances of the art,” the school’s message read.
The statement explained that while the “clear majority of students at Ellington favor naming the theater for Dave Chappelle,” they are also respecting “every voice” and their opinions. However, they said their purpose is not to “form a uniformity of viewpoints but to help instill genuine, respectful curiosity in perspectives that challenge one’s own.”
The 49-year-old encouraged those who supported the decision by donating to the school and sharing the support. However, Chappelle asked those who oppose it to send donations and explain why they do not support the school naming the theater after him. The Daily Caller reported that he said he would respect whichever one receives the highest dollar amount of contributions.
Sis2Sis previously reported that The Duke Ellington School of Arts had initially canceled the fundraiser after the comedian’s remarks during his Netflix special, The Closer. After learning the school would cancel the fundraiser, the comedian jokingly voiced his opinion about the decision, “They’re canceling stuff I didn’t even want to do. If you think you’re mad at me — remember, I didn’t disinvite you from anything.”
According to Politico, during Chappelle’s surprise visit to the school, he received a mixture of boos and cheers from students. One student called him a “bigot,” and the comedian responded by informing the student that he didn’t believe they “could make one of the decisions” he has to make on a “given day.”
The “Chappelle Show” star faced the consequences of ‘cancel culture’ after his remarks about members of the LGBTQ community during his Netflix special and his U.S. tour to promote his documentary, Untitled.
