Marlon Wayans Says He Wouldn’t Support Dave Chappelle If He Was “Full Of Hate” For Trans Community

Marlon Wayans has shared why he still remains close friends with Dave Chappelle despite the comedian facing criticism over jokes about transgender community. Wayans, who supports his transgender son, explained that he does not believe Chappelle speaks from hatred.

According to The Scary Movie star, he knows Chappelle personally and feels the comedian's main goal is to freely express himself through comedy rather than hurt people. Wayans also said he understands both sides of the conversation because he supports his child while also respecting his comedian friend.

In a conversation with Variety, Marlon Wayans explained, “I wouldn't hang with Dave if he was full of hate. I don't hang with people like that. I know Dave's heart, and his intention isn't to punch down. 

“Dave wants to freely tell his jokes, and if you're going to be anti-comedy, then he's going to keep attacking you until you learn to have a sense of humour. He's just standing there and defending his front line as a comedian. You have to be a comedian to understand that.”

“As a comedian, I respect his journey. And as a friend, I respect his journey. And for my child, I respect their journey. And as the father of my child, I can appropriate my feelings toward my friend and my feelings toward my child, and how we can put those two things together and I can explain both sides. I'm between them, so I can explain both sides to each other.”

Marlon Wayans is currently touring and preparing new material for his next stand up comedy special. He shared that a large part of the show focuses on his personal experience as the father of a transgender child. 

According to Wayans, the performance is emotional and personal because he openly talks about his feelings, struggles and lessons he has learned as a parent.

The actor said many parents of transgender children approach him after the shows to thank him for speaking honestly about the subject. Some audience members even get teary eyed because they relate to his story.

Dave Chappelle faced heavy criticism after releasing his 2021 Netflix comedy special The Closer, which included jokes about transgender people that many viewers found offensive. The backlash became so intense that even Netflix employees reportedly walked out to protest the special.

Following the controversy, Chappelle denied reports claiming that he had refused to meet transgender employees at Netflix, saying he'll agree if he was actually invited. He also said he won't deny the comments he made in the special, while acknowledging the strong public reaction that later happened.

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Dave Chappelle further explained that from his personal experience, transgender people he knows have always treated him with kindness and support. He added that he felt confused by the level of anger surrounding the situation and suggested that the controversy had affected his own ability to comfortably return to Netflix.