Photo: Getty Images
Dave Chappelle’s high school named a building after the comedian after all.
Yesterday, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington D.C. unveiled the Dave Chappelle Theatre.
BUT ... In a surprise move, Chappelle announced that the student theater will not bear his name.
It will instead be called the Theater for Artistic Freedom and Expression.
The dedication had initially been postponed last November after critics blasted his high-profile Netflix special, “The Closer,” as transphobic. Ellington students also raised concerns.
Chappelle told the audience Monday that while he thought the backlash against him lacked nuance and wasn’t about his work, he didn’t want a theater bearing his name to distract from students focusing on the meaning of their art.
He also noted that the criticism “sincerely” hurt him.
Chappelle said he decided Friday not to have his name on the school. “But the Ellington family is my family."
Source: Daily Mail.
Photo Credit: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images.