Disappointed John Mulaney fans are turning against him after he brought Dave Chappelle onstage during a show in Ohio, where the embattled comedian told several anti-trans and anti-gay jokes, which Mulaney approved of with a hug.
Attendees of Mulaney’s “From Scratch” tour show in Columbus, Ohio, took to Twitter Friday night and Saturday to denounce Chappelle’s appearance and Mulaney’s apparent cosigning of his homophobic material, which has been the subject of backlash since his Netflix special last year, spurring walkouts from the streamer’s employees as a result. According to several tweets, Mulaney hugged Chappelle after his performance… which a lot of people of social media thought was a giant no-no.
“My favorite part of tonight was when dave chappelle ambushed us at the john mulaney show, told a bunch of transphobic jokes, a massive stadium of people laughed, and then john mulaney hugged him at the end,” wrote one user.
Another skewered Mulaney for putting on an act as a “nice, politically conscious, cool-and-feminist guy” only to renounce such ideology when it’s convenient. “You might say [celebrities like that] have the moral backbone of a chocolate eclair. This tweet is about John Mulaney,” they wrote.
Others didn’t mince words, expressing their anger through expletives. Several “f— you’s” peppered discourse on the social media platform.
According to audience members, showgoers were required to lock their phones in pouches (presumably similar to those produced by Yondr, used for similar shows to protect performers’ privacy), so it’s unlikely that any video was taken of either Chappelle or Mulaney.
Reps for Mulaney did not immediately respond to request for comment from TheWrap.
See further reactions below:
