Michelle Buteau Calls Out Dave Chappelle's Anti-Trans Jokes In Netflix Special

Michelle Buteau is known for providing a hearty chuckle, but this time she’s taking a page out of Lori Beth Denberg’s book and delivering some vital information for Dave Chappelle’s everyday comedic life.

In her new Netflix comedy special, “Michelle Buteau: A Buteau-ful Mind at Radio City Music Hall,” she addressed Chappelle’s history of attacking the transgender community during his stand-up routines.

The special, which was released on New Year’s Eve, marks the first time that a woman has filmed a comedy special at the historic Manhattan venue.

After recounting a hilarious story about one of her friends who is a lesbian, Buteau explains that comedians can, in fact, “tell jokes and stories and not disparage a whole community.”

“We can do that,” she continues. “We can make it funny, we just have to work at it. So if you guys ever run into Dave Chappelle, can you let him know that shit? I don’t think he knows that shit.”

Michelle Buteau at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards.

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The “Survival of the Thickest” actor goes on to call Chappelle the GOAT, but not in the traditional “Greatest Of All Time” sense. Instead, she reimagines the acronym as “Going Off About Trans People.”

A perplexed Buteau expressed how she finds it baffling that “someone could make millions of dollars for making people feel unsafe.”

The “Babes” actor then quips that while her life goal was once to be able to find her belly button when she sits, she opted for a “more realistic” ambition of making people feel “safe, seen, secure, heard and entertained.”

In 2021, Chappelle came under fire for transphobic jokes he made in his latest Netflix comedy special. During the special, Chappelle defended offensive comments towards the LGBTQ people made by author J.K. Rowling and rapper DaBaby.

Dave Chappelle speaks onstage during the 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

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In an interview with USA Today published on Tuesday, Buteau doubled down on her stance, saying, “I’m not saying you can’t say things — I’m just saying, ‘Can you make it funny?’ Because it doesn’t feel funny,” Buteau said.

Buteau went on to explain that the issue isn’t just about Chappelle, but is indicative of a larger cultural problem in the entertainment industry.

“When people say, ‘We can’t do what we used to do.’ Yeah! Slavery used to be legal, you guys,” the comedian said. “Sometimes we’ve got to move forward, and I’m sorry if it’s different, but wrap your little mind around it.”