Channing Tatum reacts to Dave Chappelle controversy, acknowledges people are 'hurt'

Hollywood actor Channing Tatum made a "very dangerous" comment, as he waded into the controversy surrounding comedian Dave Chappelle's new special for Netflix. Reacting to a series of accusations that includes harmful transphobic remarks against Chappelle, Tatum acknowledged that the comedian hurt many with his jokes. Tatum, while appreciating Chappelle for his past works, said that it was not an excuse for “anything hurtful”.

Reacting to the controversy, Channing Tatum on Sunday took to his Instagram to pen down a statement. Taking to his Instagram Stories, Tatum reposted a video put up by comic D.L. Hughley, which saw Chappelle during his 2019 speech at the Kennedy Center to accept the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Tatum appreciated the video and said that the speech helped him. However, he went on to add that he understands why people are ‘hurt’.  

"I understand that Dave is a very dangerous person to talk about at the moment," Tatum wrote. "I understand and hate that he has hurt so many people with things he has said. Any human can hurt someone (usually because they're hurt) but any human can heal and heal others just the same,” he said. Talking about the video he shared, Tatum said, “This little piece healed me back in the day. I can't forget that." He further mentioned that it did not excuse any hurtful behaviour.

Controversy on Dave Chappelle's Netflix special

Dave Chappelle is in the news for his latest comedy act The Closer as the comedian, who has not had the best equation with the LGBTQ+ community over his comments over the years, this time sparked controversies with his statements about the trans community. The 48-year-old attracted criticism after making jokes against the LGBTQ+ community. On the show, Chappelle seemed to intentionally and jokingly call himself 'transphobic' multiple times, sharing how the term had got stuck with him over the years. He clarified that he never had a problem with transgender people, but with white people. Among his other controversial mentions on the show was his discomfort at being 'tricked' into describing a transwoman as beautiful. He even went on to state that women looked at trans women as white women wearing blackface, quipping that women would feel anger against transwomen, giving the example of Caitlyn Jenner winning a magazine's Woman of the Year award.

Netflix employees plan protest

Not only have many celebrities have expressed their displeasure but several transgender employees of Netflix and their colleagues are planning to stage a protest to pressurise the streaming giant to acknowledge the problems they felt were associated with his comments. The action was in the wake of Netflix CEO Ted Saranados stating that the show had not 'crossed the line'.

Image: AP