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Despite a backlash against the comedian following his Netflix special 'The Closer,' his alma mater high school will dedicate a theater after him.
"Recently, Dave Chappelle challenged individuals who support and oppose the choice to name the theatre at Duke Ellington School of the Arts after him through a fundraising campaign via his Instagram page," according to a statement published by the school on Sunday.
"While we appreciate Dave's spontaneous and passionate fundraising effort, we stand by our choice to name the theatre after Dave Chappelle in honor of our co-founder, the late Peggy Cooper Cafritz," the statement said.
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“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.
The school expressed its gratitude to the famed comedian for his support of the institution and its pupils. Recent stories concerning Chappelle's unexpected visit to the school were also deemed "inaccurate."
"While there has been substantial media coverage concerning the theatre name and Chappelle's most recent visit to the school," the school's letter said, "the source reports that have gone viral have been erroneous, lacking of context, and omitted to highlight the intricacies of art."
While the "vast majority of students at Ellington approve naming the theater after Dave Chappelle," they are also taking this opportunity to listen to "every voice," according to the statement.
However, they stated that their goal is to "help cultivate real, respectful curiosity in ideas that question one's own," rather than "create a uniformity of viewpoints."
The "Chappelle Show" actor had already negotiated a deal with cancel culture over the theater's title, in which he encouraged supporters to give to the school and spread their support. He also encouraged anyone who are opposed to give to the school and explain their disagreement in their gift. He stated that whoever party ends up with the most money will be respected.
Dave recently made a surprise visit to the school where he reportedly took the stage to cheers and boos. Politico reported one kid called him a “bigot” and he responded by telling the student that he didn’t believe they “could make one of the decisions” he has to make on a “given day.”
The superstar comedian made headlines following an outcry over his comments about the LGBTQ community in his latest stand-up show. In response, he said his special is about “corporate interests” and what he “can say” and “cannot say.”
