CNN anchor Don Lemon wasted no time responding to criticism he received from Dave Chappelle on the comedian’s surprise special 8:46 which dropped late Thursday night. During the special, Chappelle criticized the media and mentioned Lemon specifically.
Chappelle called out Lemon for the CNN’s anchors comments asking for celebrities to speak out following the death of George Floyd.
“I was watching [CNN’s] Don Lemon and he said, ‘Where are these celebrities? Why aren’t you talking?’ I was yelling at the TV: ‘I dare you to say me!’ … Have I not ever said things bout this before? Now, this n—r expects met to step into the streets and talk over the work these people are doing? Do you want a celebrity right now? Do we give a f— what Ja Rule thinks? This is the streets talking. I kept my mouth shut,” Chappelle said. “But don’t think my silence is complicit.”
Lemon listened to the clip live on-air Friday morning and actually agreed with the criticism from Chappelle before saying he is welcome on his show at any time to further discuss the issues.
“I think the establishment has been a bit behind,” he said. “And I think of myself as part of the establishment because I’m over 40 years old. I think that the young people who are out in the streets don’t really care what we have to say. They think that part of the world that we created, and what we did – maybe we didn’t move fast enough or we weren’t strong enough? They’re out there fighting and saying, ‘Listen, we are tired of what’s happening, we’ve tried to do it nicely, we’ve tried to do it peacefully, we’ve tried to do all these things and you’ve rejected it.’ So I think they’re not only speaking to the white people in this country, but all of us in the establishment. I agree with him in that way.
“Listen, I’m not beyond reproach or criticism, I actually welcome it, and Dave can come on my show and talk about it any time… We should all be challenged… I actually think it’s a moment where we have two men of colour who have two big platforms – we are agreeing or disagreeing with each other and having a discussion, and people are actually paying attention to us. That’s healthy.”
The special — which was part of Dave Chappelle & Friends: A Talk with Punchlines in Yellow Springs, Ohio — was shared with the message, “Normally I wouldn’t show you something so unrefined, I hope you understand.” It touched on Floyd’s death along with the deaths of Michael Brown in Missouri, Trayvon Martin in Florida, and Eric Garner in New York City.
In addition to calling out Lemon, Chappelle also got some digs in on Candace Owens and FOX News’ Laura Ingraham.
You can watch the special by clicking on the link below.
