Dave Chappelle hosts 'SNL' tonight. Here's a timeline of controversies surrounding his jokes about transgender people - CNN

CNN  — 

Tonight Dave Chappelle volition big “Saturday Night Live” for the 3rd clip – an quality that is courting contention earlier helium adjacent takes the stage.

The comedian has drawn expanding ire successful caller years for making jokes aimed astatine transgender people, and the outcry grew louder past autumn erstwhile Netflix released a Chappelle special, “The Closer,” successful which helium doubled down connected his comments.

Netflix stood by Chappelle, who went connected a nationalist circuit aft the peculiar and mostly ignored the contention aft addressing it successful his act.

But his comments were criticized by chap comics, fans, trans advocates and immoderate Netflix employees, and a Minnesota venue canceled a Chappelle amusement this twelvemonth implicit the controversy.

Given that context, it was surprising to immoderate “SNL” viewers to spot him invited backmost to Studio 8H. Here’s a look astatine Chappelle’s caller past of jokes astir trans radical – and the resulting backlash.

August: In a bid of stand-up shows astatine New York City’s Radio City Music Hall, Chappelle made jokes aimed astatine trans radical for astatine slightest 20 minutes, Vulture reported. He made explicit jokes astir trans people’s bodies and referred to trans radical arsenic “transgenders,” among different comments, Vulture said.

These weren’t the archetypal jokes Chappelle had made astatine trans people’s expense. But helium delivered them successful New York after drawing immoderate backlash for earlier comments.

“That gag and others successful this conception endure from the aforesaid problems arsenic those from his specials – they are rooted successful disgust and generalization,” Vulture wrote of a Chappelle gag astir ISIS fighters being horrified by transgender soldiers. “They’re conscionable not good.”

August 26: Netflix released a stand-up special, “Sticks and Stones,” successful which Chappelle performed much material astir trans people, including immoderate contented from his Radio City shows. In an epilogue to the special, helium brought up his person Daphne Dorman, a trans comedian, whom helium said laughed hardest astatine his jokes astir trans people.

October 5: Netflix released Chappelle’s peculiar “The Closer.” In it, helium goes connected an extended tangent astir transgender people and makes respective jokes astatine their expense. He misgenders a trans comedian, erstwhile again makes explicit jokes astir trans women’s bodies and defends TERFs, oregon trans-exclusionary extremist feminists.

He besides referred to trans radical arsenic “transgenders,” states that “gender is simply a fact” and aboriginal says that Dorman died by suicide soon aft she was criticized by different trans radical for defending Chappelle aft “Sticks and Stones.”

At the clip Chappelle’s peculiar was released, at slightest 33 states had introduced anti-transgender legislation, overmuch of it aimed astatine young trans people.

October 13: Amid calls from LGBTQ advocates, chap comedians, Netflix employees and societal justness organizations to propulsion the special, Netflix stood by Chappelle.

In a missive obtained by the Verge and Variety, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos told employees that the peculiar volition stay disposable to stream.

“We don’t let titles connected Netflix that are designed to incite hatred oregon violence, and we don’t judge ‘The Closer’ crosses that enactment … Some radical find the creation of stand-up to beryllium mean spirited but our members bask it, and it’s an important portion of our contented offering,” Sarandos wrote.

Netflix suspended 3 employees for attending a virtual gathering of directors to sermon the peculiar without notifying the gathering organizer successful advance. Among them was Terra Field, a trans elder bundle technologist who had publically criticized the peculiar and Netflix. Her suspension was aboriginal reversed.

October 19: Sarandos told Variety helium “screwed up” his communications with Netflix employees but reaffirmed helium did not judge the peculiar qualifies arsenic “hate speech.”

October 20: Around 65 demonstrators, including Netflix employees and trans advocates, participated successful a walkout in protestation of Netflix’s enactment of “The Closer.” The demonstrators called connected Netflix to prosecute much trans and non-binary executives and money much trans and non-binary talent.

October 24: Three trans stand-up comics told CNN they were disappointed by Chappelle’s jokes, adjacent though each 3 said they erstwhile considered the celebrated performer arsenic a drama inspiration. While each of them agreed that jokes astir trans radical aren’t inherently offensive, they said Chappelle’s acceptable was infused with the aforesaid hateful rhetoric and connection utilized by anti-transgender critics.

“When helium talks astir the trans community, he’s not talking astir them, he’s speaking retired against them,” comedian Nat Puff told CNN. “And that’s the quality betwixt saying thing comic astir the trans assemblage and saying thing violative astir the trans community.”

A 4th comic, Flame Monroe, 1 of the lone trans comics whose worldly is streaming connected Netflix, told CNN she believes Chappelle should beryllium allowed to gag astir trans people, adjacent though she initially was taken aback by immoderate of his comments.

October 25: Chappelle addressed critics at a amusement successful Nashville, appearing alongside Joe Rogan, the podcast big who’s been criticized for dismissing the effectiveness of vaccines and utilizing radical slurs, among different controversies.

Chappelle released videos connected his authoritative Instagram relationship from the set, successful which helium seemingly addressed the trans employees astatine Netflix who participated successful the walkout implicit “The Closer.”

“It seems similar I’m the lone 1 who can’t spell to the bureau anymore,” helium said.

“I privation everyone successful this assemblage to cognize that adjacent though the media frames it arsenic though it’s maine versus that community, that’s not what it is,” Chappelle went on. “Do not blasted the LBGTQ (sic) assemblage for immoderate of this s—. This has thing to bash with them. It’s astir firm involvement and what I tin accidental and what I cannot say.”

“For the grounds – and I request you to cognize this – everyone I cognize from that assemblage has been thing but loving and supportive. So I don’t cognize what each this nonsense is about.”

July 12: “The Closer” was nominated for 2 Emmys, including “outstanding assortment peculiar (pre-recorded).” Adele aboriginal won the category.

July 21: A Minneapolis venue canceled Chappelle’s sold-out amusement hours earlier its doors were acceptable to open, apologizing to “staff, artists and our community” aft receiving disapproval for hosting Chappelle.

“We judge successful divers voices and the state of creator expression, but successful honoring that, we mislaid show of the interaction this would have,” wrote First Avenue, the venue celebrated for being featured successful Prince’s “Purple Rain” film.

November 5: “Saturday Night Live” announced Chappelle would beryllium its post-midterms host. The backlash was swift.

Field joked connected Twitter: “Wait I thought I cancelled (sic) him. Is it imaginable cancel civilization isn’t a existent thing??”

November 10: After the New York Post reported that respective “SNL” writers are boycotting Saturday’s episode, Chappelle’s representatives told CNN determination are nary issues with writers oregon formed members. “SNL’s” existent unit includes nonbinary formed subordinate Molly Kearney and nonbinary writer Celeste Yim.

Chappelle volition instrumentality the signifier unrecorded Saturday astatine 11:30 p.m. ET.