What did Dave Chappelle say about Israel's bombing of Gaza? Comedian triggers audience walkout during one of his Boston shows

Dave Chappelle is trending for airing his views on the Israel-Palestine situation on Thursday, October 19 during his stand-up show in Boston's TD Garden. The Wall Street Journal reported that Chappelle's remarks about the conflict even led to a few fans leaving the show.

According to the publication, the comedian heavily criticized the October 7 Hamas attacks but also went after Israel's treatment of Gaza, and the United States' backing of Israel in the conflict. The comments allegedly divided Chappelle's audience, as some supported his comments and others were displeased.

Chappelle condemned Hamas but criticized Israel (Image via Instagram/@davechappelle)

Dave Chappelle condemns Israel's treatment of Gaza

The Wall Street Journal's live coverage report of Dave Chappelle's Thursday show in TD Garden, Boston revealed that instead of leaving the audience roaring with laughter like he usually does, Chappelle left the audience getting up and leaving the venue.

According to the report, the outrage began when Dave Chappelle stated that students should not lose job offers over supporting Palestine. Last week, about a dozen CEOs backed billionaire hedge fund manager, Bill Ackman's decision to deny job opportunities for members of 34 Harvard student groups who signed a letter entirely blaming Israel for the violence.

Expand Tweet

Chappelle's comments on the subject led an audience member to ask the comedian to shut up. Chappelle did not shut up and doubled down on his comments about the conflict.

Attendees told The Wall Street Journal that the comedian went on to accuse Israel of killing innocents and criticized Israel's decision to cut off essential supplies to Gaza, including food, water, and fuel.

This reportedly divided the audience with some shouting "Free Palestine" in support of Dave Chappelle while others rebutted and confronted him about the actions of Hamas. Some people reportedly got up and left the venue.

The outlet reported that Chapelle did, however, criticize the October 7 attack on Israeli citizens by Hamas, which reportedly left around 1400 Israeli citizens dead. But Chapelle still condemned Israel's military response to the situation by stating that two wrongs did not make a right.

Social media users had mixed reactions when they came to know of Dave Chappelle's comments. Some criticized fans for leaving the show and supported Chappelle's comments. Others said they would no longer support Dave and even insinuated that he's been paid off.

Here are a few reactions to The New York Post's tweet about the subject:

Netizens had mixed reactions to Chappelle's comments (Image via X/@nypost)

In a rather bizarre claim, a spokesperson for Dave Chappelle said that Dave denies being in Boston during the night of the show, the New York Post reported. However, his show for October 19 in Boston was listed as a venue for his comedy tour. He will next appear on October 25, in Raleigh, North Carolina, at the PNC Arena.

This is not the first time that Dave's comments have caused a stir. His remarks on the trans community in a comedy show on Netflix also caused controversy back in 2022.