Review: Dave Chappelle’s 8:46 lends catharsis, insight, and some laughs

Dave Chappelle's 8:46.

In Dave Chappelle's latest impromptu performance, distributed by Netflix via YouTube, Chappelle responds to those calling for his voice during America's current racial reckoning. In particular, he addresses a call-out by CNN anchor Don Lemon who demanded during a broadcast that Chappelle and other African-American celebrities speak out on the killings and protests taking place in the country and around the world.

This call comes in an era where celebrities and companies can immediately and directly reach millions of people-and some have done so more effectively than others, with each degree of response receiving its own backlash. In Chappelle's case, his material has always met the issue of race in America head-on with equal parts analysis and hilarity-typically with blue jokes sprinkled throughout. It's what made his Comedy Central show a paradigm-shifting success and why, after decades in the business, his commentary is still highly sought after, as rare as it has been in recent years.

Chappelle says he didn't want to step in front of the streets and talk over the work these people are doing." But in formulating 8:46, his personal connections to George Floyd, John Crawford, and a slave-born black bishop from South Carolina (among others) reminded him, and all of us, that no one has the luxury of saying this isn't about me."

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