It all began when Chappelle said that students who expressed support for Palestine should not be denied job offers (unaware, perhaps, that most GOP candidates for president
want to do far more than that). According to
the Wall Street Journal, a heckler at the show told him to shut up, which spurred Chappelle to expand on his opinions about the war.
After condemning the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in which over 1000 Israelis died, Chappelle “accused Israel of killing innocent civilians and committing war crimes,”
Page Six reports. He “also said the US was guilty of aiding the slaughter of innocent civilians,”
according to Deadline.
Audience reaction was mixed, with some applauding and calling “free Palestine,” while others walked out of the show, according to the WSJ.
“The audience was cheering Chappelle on during his tirade. I was sick. We were sick. I turned to my friends and wife and said, I think it is time to go,” the
Daily Mail quotes an audience member saying via social media. “We walked out and met up with many other Jews leaving the show. Never in my life have I felt so unsafe and so fearful of what I was witnessing.” Oddly enough, a spokesperson for the comedian told the WSJ that he “denies being in Boston” for the show in question, which
was widely advertised and displays no indications that it was canceled.