Dave Chappelle wins Grammy for Netflix special that sparked transphobia accusations

Dave Chappelle won Best Comedy Album at the 2023 Grammys for his recent Netflix comedy special, The Closer, which drew heavy criticism for jokes about the transgender community.

Critics accused Chappelle of “transphobic” remarks, such as saying he was “team Terf” (trans-exclusionary radical feminist). He was also widely condemned for claiming that the LGBTQ+ community was attempting to “destroy” the lives of celebrities such as JK Rowling by “cancelling” them.

The US comedian beat out competition from Louis CK – who admitted to sexual misconduct in 2017 – (Sorry), Jim Gaffigan (Comedy Monster), Randy Rainbow (A Little Brains, A Little Talent) and Patton Oswalt (We All Scream) to win his fourth Grammy.

After Chappelle and CK were nominated, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr told The Hollywood Reporter, “We don’t control who the voters vote for.

“If the voters feel like a creator deserves a nomination, they’re going to vote for them.”

“We’re never going to be in the business of deciding someone’s moral position or where we evaluate them to be on the scale of morality,” he added.

“I think our job is to evaluate the art and the quality of the art. We can make sure that all of our spaces are safe and people don’t feel threatened by anyone. But as far as the nominations or the awards, we really let the voters make that decision.”

Follow The Independent’s 2023 Grammys coverage live here.

The Closer controversy prompted a series of staff resignations and employee protests at Netflix, while CEO Ted Sarandos defended the decision to release Chappelle’s special.

Sarandos later admitted he “screwed up” in his defence of Chappelle’s special over his previous claims that on-screen content doesn’t cause real-world harm.

In May, Chappelle was attacked by a man who identifies as bisexual over his “triggering” comments about the LGBTQ+ community, while performing at the Netflix Is A Joke festival at The Hollywood Bowl.

Meanwhile, plans to name a high school theatre in Chappelle’s honour were abandoned at the comedian’s request following an outcry among students.

You can find a rundown of The Independent’s predictions for this year’s Grammys ceremony here and see the Grammy winners in full here.