Patton Oswalt offered a defense of transgender rights while reflecting on the uproar he faced over a recent show with fellow comedian Dave Chappelle.
The outrage was sparked after Oswalt posted a photo of himself with Chappelle on Instagram. Oswalt said in the post that he was performing in Seattle when Chappelle texted him that he was in town for his own show, and since their venues were close by, Chappelle invited Oswalt to do a surprise set with him.
“I ended the year with a real friend and a deep laugh,” Oswalt said. “Can’t ask for much more.”
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Chappelle has been the subject of controversy in recent months due to a series of jokes from his Netflix special, The Closer, which many have condemned as transphobic. Netflix employees held a walkout months ago in protest of the streaming service’s decision to air the special, though Chappelle stood behind the comments.
On Sunday, Oswalt put up a new post on Instagram where he admitted to deleting
Thirty four YEARS we’ve been friends. He’s refocused and refined ideas a lot of us took as settled about race & history & Life On Planet Earth and spun them around with a phrase or punchline. We’ve done bad & good gigs, open mikes & TV tapings. But we also 100 percent disagree about transgender rights & representation. I support trans peoples’ rights — ANYONE’S rights — to live safely in the world as their fullest selves. For all the things he’s helped ME evolve on, I’ll always disagree with where he stands NOW on transgender issues. But I also don’t believe a seeker like him is done evolving, learning. You know someone that long, see the struggles and changes, it’s impossible to cut them off. Impossible not to be hopeful and open and cheer them on.
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