Comedian Dave Chappelle recently saw a live show cancelled at the last minute due to controversy over his transgender jokes..The First Avenue venue in Minnesota apologized for booking him and said the show would move to another theatre..First Avenue said it must hold itself "to the highest standards" in its decision to cancel Chappelle..In a statement posted on Instagram, First Avenue said, "To staff, artists, and our community, we hear you and we are sorry. We know we must hold ourselves to the highest standards, and we know we let you down."."We are not just a black box with people in it, and we understand that First Ave is not just a room, but meaningful beyond our walls. The First Avenue team and you have worked hard to make our venues the safest spaces in the country, and we will continue with that mission. We believe in diverse voices and the freedom of artistic expression, but in honouring that, we lost sight of the impact this would have."."We know there are some who will not agree with this decision; you are welcome to send feedback," the statement said..Chappelle recently faced controversy for describing trans people as "confusing" in Netflix special..In the Netflix special, The Closer, Chappelle told the audience: "Gender is a fact. Every human being in this room, every human being on Earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on Earth. This is a fact.".In an Instagram post, the venue addressed the social media backlash they had received after booking Chappelle. Some Instagram users were not happy with Chappelle's "transphobic jokes" made on Netflix..Therefore, the decision was made to move the sold-out show to the Varsity Theatre, which is roughly a 40 minute walk away from First Avenue..Chappelle did not comment on the cancellation.
