Dave Chappelle declines having school theatre named after him

• Dave Chappelle has decided not to let his former school name its theatre after him.
• The theatre will now be called the Theater for Artistic Freedom and Expression rather than Duke Ellington School of Arts.
• The dedication ceremony was supposed to happen in November, but it was postponed due to the controversy.

Dave Chappelle has decided not to let his former school name its theatre after him following his recent controversy.

On Monday night, the comedian attended a dedication event for the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., when it was revealed that the theatre will no longer hold his name. Instead, it will be known as the Theater for Artistic Freedom and Expression.

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According to The Washington Post, Chappelle informed the audience that he didn’t want a theatre named after him to take away from the kids’ work, so he decided on Friday to remove his name from the building.

In October, Chappelle faced backlash for remarks he made against the transgender community in his Netflix stand-up special The Closer.

He told the audience at the event that he thought the backlash against him lacked nuance and wasn’t about his art, but that the criticism had “sincerely” affected him.

The dedication ceremony was supposed to happen in November, but it was postponed due to the controversy.

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In October, the 48-year-old said the theatre bearing his name was “the most significant honour of my life,” after pledging to donate $100,000 (£82,000).

“I used to skip school. I would hide in there when I was skipping class. Who would have thought that that theatre would one day be named after me?” he said at a fundraising event. “But I understand it because sometimes when you love things, they love you back. And I loved that school.”