Dave Chappelle has delivered a series of humorous jabs aimed at Lil Nas X in his new Netflix stand-up comedy special The Dreamer.
In a video of the segment that’s been making the rounds on social media, the veteran comedian playfully roasts the “Old Town Road” rapper while recalling an encounter between the two of them.
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“I know a dreamer when I see one and I’ve met many powerful dreamers in my life — none more powerful than the man who calls himself Lil Nas X,” Chappelle begins. “I met this n-gga at a party; I had no idea who he was.
“But the minute he walked in that party, I knew I was in his dream. Everybody in the party was another dreamer. Everyone was famous. But when that n-gga walked in, he was dressed like C-3PO. He was shining! Everyone was like, ‘Oh my God, there he is! That’s Lil Nas X!’ I didn’t know who he was.”
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He continued: “For some reason, out of all them dreamers, he walked right up to me. And he said, ‘I tried to get you in my video.’ I didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about. I said, ‘What video?’
“And he just looked at me like, ‘You know what video,’ and walked away. And I watched him walk away. I said, ‘Man, this n-gga is having a very powerful dream.'”
This isn’t the first time that Dave Chappelle has ribbed Lil Nas X. In 2022, an audio clip of a previous stand-up set found the comic — who has faced allegations of homophobia and transphobia in recent years — explaining his issues with the openly-gay artist.
“A lot of people think that I wouldn’t like a guy like Lil Nas X. They’d assume that I’m homophobic and wouldn’t like him because he’s gay. That’s not true. In fact, I like his music very much,” Chappelle said.
“But I don’t like Lil Nas X. It’s not because he’s gay; it’s because he’s slutty,” he then joked. “I’m a conservative man. I like responsible marriage-minded homosexuals. Not these promiscuous fags in Hollywood.”
The Dreamer marks Dave Chappelle’s seventh Netflix special in six years and first since he was attacked onstage at the Hollywood Bowl in May 2022.
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The culprit, 24-year-old Isaiah Lee, stormed the stage and charged Chappelle towards the end of the show. Lee was reportedly carrying an object that resembled a gun equipped with a knife blade during the attack, but Chappelle was not injured.
Lee, a bisexual man who says he was triggered by the comedian’s jokes about the LGBTQ community, was later sentenced to 270 days in prison after pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges.
