Dave Chappelle Speaks About George Floyd, Blasts Candace Owens in Surprise Special

Dave Chappelle just dropped a surprise Netflix special and finally speaks out about the death of George Floyd, while blasting political commentator Candace Owens. “It’s hard to figure out what to say about George Floyd, so I’m not going to say it yet,” Chappelle says at the start while flipping through a notebook. He later adds, “I got to tell you, this is like the first concert in North American since all this s— happened, so like it or not, it’s history. It’s going to be in the books.”

The special is titled 8:46, which is the length of time that former Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck during an arrest on May 25. Chappelle noted that this had a deeper meaning to him as he was born at 8:46 a.m. Floyd was pronounced dead after becoming unresponsive at the scene, and Chauvin was eventually arrested and charged with second-degree murder. While speaking about Floyd’s tragic death, Chappelle brought up Owens, who previously made negative comments about Floyd’s death by pointing out his past criminal record. “I seen Candace Owens try to convince white America, ‘Don’t worry about it. He’s a criminal anyway,’” he said, paraphrasing Owens.

Chappelle continued, “I don’t give a f— what this n— did. I don’t care what this n— did. I don’t care if he personally kicked Candace Owens in her stanky p—. I don’t know if it stanks, but I imagine it does. If I ever find out, I’ll let you know for sure.” He then quipped, “I’ll tell like Azealia Banks. I’ll tell.” This is a reference to Banks’ past claims that she had a sexual affair with Chappelle. “I’m the worst,” he then said, chuckling.

The 27-minute special debuted on the Netflix Is A Joke YouTube channel overnight and features Chappelle performing for a crowd Yellow Springs, Ohio. It was filmed on June 6, with the crowd following designated social distancing guidelines, such as being 6 feet apart, wearing face masks, and getting temperature checks. Along with the special, Chappelle included a link to the Equal Justice Initiative, which is a nonprofit organization founded by attorney Bryan Stevenson, that focuses on ending mass incarceration and racial inequality. He also offered a disclaimer along with the special, writing, “From Dave: Normally I wouldn’t show you something so unrefined, I hope you understand.”