Actor-comedian Dave Chappelle has slammed Palestinian-American music producer DJ Khaled over his silence on Israel's brutal military campaign in Gaza.
At the Etihad Arena on Friday (June 27), where Chappelle performed as part of the Emirates' Comedy Season, an audience member mentioned DJ Khaled. The moment prompted the American comedian to call out the musician for making no public comment on what many termed a genocide in the besieged Palestinian territory.
"DJ Khaled, let me tell you something. For a Palestinian, this man is awfully quiet right now. And as a Palestinian, how could you be that quiet right now? And why are you so fat? People are starving. He's the only fat Palestinian on Earth right now," Chappelle said, as reported by Alarabiya English.
The comments came amid growing criticism from activists and social media users who questioned DJ Khaled for not speaking up about the situation in Gaza, despite frequently expressing pride in his Palestinian heritage.
In contrast, several public figures, including actor Mark Ruffalo, singer Kehlani and rapper Macklemore, have condemned the war and urged for a permanent ceasefire, drawing attention.
Chappelle himself has been vocal. In a previous show in Abu Dhabi, he described Israel's actions as "genocide," a remark that reportedly received loud applause from the audience, according to Alarabiya English.
The 51-year-old also used his platform to take a swipe at US President during the same set, questioning Donald Trump's recent remarks on military action in the Middle East.
"Trump - I don't know about this guy. I can't tell if he's going to do good or not," Chappelle said. Reflecting on Trump's comments about US air strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, he added, "Trump wrote that 'we did a meticulously perfect attack. We have disabled their nuclear facility.' And then at the end of the post he said, 'And now is the time for peace!' Word? I don't think that's how this works, champ."
On July 2, Trump called on Hamas to accept what he described as a "final proposal" for a 60-day ceasefire with Israel. The plan, he said, will be delivered to Hamas by mediators from Qatar and Egypt.
In a post on social media, Trump mentioned that his team had a "long and productive" discussion with Israeli officials regarding the situation in Gaza. According to Trump, Israel has accepted the terms of the ceasefire, and the next step is securing agreement from Hamas to move forward with efforts to end the war.
