Dave Chappelle talks Elon Musk, returning to stand up & more on Joe Rogan’s podcast

Dave Chappelle and Joe Rogan have been doing a series of live shows together since December in various cities, and on Friday (5/7) Dave appeared on Joe’s very popular and sometimes controversial Spotify podcast. In the episode, Dave touched on the hot topic of the moment, Elon Musk‘s SNL hosting gig, saying that he found the backlash “puzzling.”

“No one is woke enough,” Rogan said, continuing that naysayers “can’t appreciate the fact that you’re dealing with literally one of the most brilliant men that’s ever lived that’s gonna come do your show.”

“Again like you say, no one can be woke enough,” Chappelle said. “I’m torn because I like a warrior for a good cause but I’m really into tactics.”

“You’re not gonna nag people into behaving in a way that’s – in fact, if you continue with this tone, even if you’re right, you’ll be very hard to hear,” he continued.

Elon attended one of Chappelle’s socially distanced Austin shows with Grimes, and Chappelle called him “incredibly kind,” saying, “I teased him about being the richest man on earth, and he took it with good humor. What’s funny, I had hung out with him years ago, after I quit Chappelle’s Show… We hung out on a tour bus, and he says to me that night… ‘I met you before.’ I’m like, ‘Well, I have no recollection.’ He looked kinda hurt.”

Chappelle also discussed what inspired him to return to stand-up, after quitting Chappelle’s Show when he’d reportedly signed a $50 million deal with Comedy Central in advance of the series’ third season. “If I had taken that money and finished the show, I would’ve gotten the money, but might’ve never been the same,” he said, continuing, “The way people close to you react to it, like I… failed or ruined my life. And, you know, when you’re cold, that phone don’t ring that often, and I had over a decade of sitting in that choice but I didn’t languish in that experience. I started doing stand-up for much better reasons than making it.”

Chappelle also brought up his new podcast with Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli, The Midnight Miracle, saying that production values are particularly high on it because it’s being prepared for an eventual release on vinyl.

Touching on criticism of his Netflix specials, meanwhile, Chappelle said, “There was a thing going on in the press where everyone was saying that the specials were dated, because there were jokes in there that they considered transphobic. I still don’t think those jokes are transphobic, I’m not gonna have that discussion but if I ever have to, boy I’m ready.”

Stream the episode in full below.