Michelle Buteau describes Dave Chappelle's past remarks on transgender individuals as 'dangerous'

Comedian and "Babes" actress Michelle Buteau recently took aim at Dave Chappelle for his contentious remarks about transgender individuals during her comedy special, "A Buteau-ful Mind." Buteau characterized Chappelle’s comments as perilous, using her historic performance at New York’s Radio City Music Hall to illustrate how humor can be both benign and amusing when directed at a community.

During her routine, Buteau shared a risqué joke recounting a "true story about my stunning, Black lesbian friend." Afterward, she paused to reflect on the joke with her audience, noting, "for the most part, we laughed."

"Here's the thing: it is possible. It is possible to tell jokes and stories without maligning an entire community," she asserted, drawing applause and cheers from the crowd. "We can achieve that, we can inject humor. You just need to put in the effort, right? So, if any of you happen upon Dave Chappelle, let him know that s–."

Buteau further remarked on the improbability of encountering Chappelle, referring to him as the "GOAT." "And he is the GOAT, if that stands for going off on trans people. Dave, it’s not amusing. It’s hazardous," she declared. "The notion that someone could amass millions by making others feel threatened is astonishing to me."

With fervent support from an enthusiastic audience, Buteau expressed her aspiration to "earn millions by making people feel safe, acknowledged, secure, heard, and entertained!"

CNN has contacted Chappelle’s representative for a statement. Chappelle faced backlash in 2021 after remarks in his Netflix special "The Closer" were deemed transphobic by some. He later addressed the criticism at a Nashville comedy show, shortly after the special was released. The comedian also encountered censure in 2019 for jokes about Caitlyn Jenner in his "Equanimity" special and angered many the following year with his "Sticks and Stones" special, which included jokes about the trans community.

"A Buteau-ful Mind," released on New Year’s Eve, marks Buteau's second Netflix comedy special after her 2020 debut "Welcome to Buteaupia." This performance was the first by a female comic at New York City’s iconic Radio City Music Hall.