Warning: The following article contains descriptions of child sexual abuse. 

In his latest special, Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones, the comedian responds to Surviving R. Kelly documentarian dream hampton’s statement about him turning down a request to be a part of the Lifetime series. Chappelle said that he didn’t join the documentary because he doesn’t know R. Kelly.

“And when it comes out, dream’s promotin’ s—t and she keeps bringing me up,” he said, as Pitchfork reports. “She said, ‘I asked Dave Chappelle to be in my documentary, and he said it was too hot for TV.’ B—h, I did not say that. That does not even sound like how I talk.”

“The only reason that I didn’t do it was because, and this is very important…I don’t know that n—a at all! I don’t know anything! I don’t know anything that they don’t tell me about. I don’t hang out with this n—a. Nothing. So what the f—k do I got to be in the documentary for?”

hampton told Shadow And Act in January how tough it was to get celebrities to sign on to speak on camera about Kelly.

“John Legend was the only one” who would take part, she said. “I asked Jay-Z, I asked Mary J. Blige, I asked Lil Kim, Erykah Badu, Dave Chappelle…” she continued, adding that the latter celebrities declined. “I mean, most people just don’t want to touch it. I remember Ahmir [‘Questlove’ Thompson] was like, ‘I would do anything for you but I can’t do this.’ It’s not because they support him, it’s because it’s so messy and muddy. It’s that turning away that has allowed this to go on.”

hampton has since responded to Chappelle’s statement on Twitter. “Quick fact check: I didn’t personally (or casually) invite Chappelle to be interviewed for the doc,” she wrote. “The producer responsible for celeb outreach officially asked him, more than once. I haven’t seen or talked to him in about 8 years. Weird he told his joke that way.”

“I also, obviously, didn’t need Chappelle to talk about R. Kelly personally. I wanted him to talk about the two pieces of cultural criticism he produced about R. Kelly for the Chappelle show,” she continued. “I also have never in my life said the words ‘too hot for tv,’ because, B—h, that’s not how I sound.”

However, the two do agree on one thing–that R. Kelly is guilty. Chappelle joked in his special, “I mean, you know, if I’m a bettin’ man, I’m gonna put my money on ‘He probably did that s—t.’ I’m pretty sure he did that s—t.”

Chappelle’s conviction about Kelly was not spared for Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who accused Michael Jackson of alleged sexual abuse, to which he made a series of jokes about their allegations.

The jokes revolved around Chappelle’s belief that Jackson was innocent. But instead of leaving it there, he went further with an intent to shock by joking that “[e]ven if he did do it…I mean, it’s Michael Jackson.”

“I know more than half the people in this room have been molested in their lives. But it wasn’t no g—n Michael Jackson, was it?” he continued. “This kid got his d—k sucked by the King of Pop. All we get is awkward Thanksgivings for the rest of our lives.” He also went on to say that he didn’t believe Jackson molested Robson and Safechuck because Macaulay Culkin has said that nothing happened between him and Jackson and that he didn’t witness anyone abused by Jackson.

Robson and Safechuck have since responded to these jokes via TMZ. “He can say whatever he wants. It reveals him, not us,” said Robson. Safechuck also said, “I’m heartbroken for all those children who look to see how they will be received when they finally find the courage to speak out about their sexual abuse. I just want to reach out to other survivors and let them know that we can’t let this type of behavior silence us. Together we are strong.”

READ MORE:

‘Surviving R. Kelly’ Executive Producer dream hampton: ‘I’m At War With R. Kelly’

After Gun Threats At Screening, Tarana Burke Speaks On How Victims Are Still ‘Surviving R. Kelly’

After ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ Gun Threat, Survivors Say They ‘Will Not Be Dismantled

The NYPD Says Chicago-Area Man Is A Person Of Interest In ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ Gun Threat Incident

 

Photo: Netflix