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Comedian Marlon Wayans has come to the defense of his friend and fellow comedian Dave Chappelle, who has faced criticism for his jokes about the transgender community.
In an interview with Variety on Monday, Wayans emphasized his belief in Chappelle’s character, stating, “I wouldn’t associate with Dave if he were full of hate. I don’t keep company with people like that. I know Dave’s heart, and his goal is not to demean anyone.”
Wayans explained that Chappelle is committed to maintaining the essence of comedy. “Dave wants the freedom to tell his jokes. If you’re opposed to comedy itself, he’ll continue to challenge you until you learn to appreciate humor. He’s simply defending his stance as a comedian,” Wayans remarked.
When questioned about his friendship with Chappelle in light of having a transgender child, Wayans expressed that he has no intention of censoring Chappelle’s material. He sees Chappelle’s situation as a battle with those who oppose his comedic approach.
“As a comedian, I respect his journey. As a friend, I respect his journey. And for my child, I respect their journey,” Wayans concluded, highlighting his support for both his friend and his family.
“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.”
Wayans revealed that he even attempted to include a cameo for Chappelle in the upcoming “Scary Movie 6.”
“I wrote two really funny scenes for Chappelle and pitched them both. And he was like, ‘Ahhhh,’” Wayans said. “I love Dave, and he’s like a brother, and I hope one day I’ll get that cameo.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Chappelle’s publicist for comment.
In 2021, Chappelle faced backlash from the left for transgender jokes in his Netflix special, “The Closer.” Trans activists urged Netflix to drop the program and a small group of Netflix employees also staged a walkout in protest.
In 2023, he continued to make jokes about transgender people in his special “The Dreamer,” when he recounted visiting Jim Carrey on the set of his 1999 movie, “The Man on the Moon.”
Carrey employed a “method” approach to portraying real-life comedian Andy Kaufman by remaining in character at all times, and Chappelle was told by the crew to address Carrey as “Andy” when he met him.
“I wanted to meet Jim Carrey and I had to pretend this n—a was Andy Kaufman all afternoon. And he was clearly Jim Carrey. I could look at him and I could see he was Jim Carrey,” he remarked.
“Anyway, I say all that to say that’s how trans people make me feel.”
Wayans has also frequently spoken out against cancel culture and encouraged comedians to use off-color jokes despite the threat of backlash.