Dave Chappelle Talks Elon Musk and Past Transphobic Jokes To Joe Rogan: LISTEN

Dave Chappelle talked at length with Joe Rogan on his podcast about Elon Musk’s “controversial” hosting gig on SNL, his own transgressions, and transphobic jokes.

USA Today: Chappelle also divulged why he famously decided to walk away from his $50 million paycheck at the peak of his Chappelle Show success in 2005, after which he headed to South Africa and spent the next 12 years outside of television, recalling how others “couldn’t understand” his decision.

“It was so much money. How could you do that?” he recalled people saying. “Blah, blah, blah. If I had taken that money and finished the show, I would’ve gotten the money, but might’ve never been the same. … 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.”

Speaking of those stand-ups, some of which he’s been accused of making transphobic jokes in, Chappelle said he “still (doesn’t) think those jokes are transphobic. I’m not going to have that discussion but if I ever have to, boy, I’m ready.”

Listen to the whole show below.