Dave Chappelle Sends Fiery Message to Bill Maher’s Free Speech Criticism
What To Know
- Dave Chappelle responded strongly to Bill Maher’s criticism of his comments about free speech at a Saudi comedy festival in his new Netflix special.
- Chappelle clarified that his remarks about freer speech in Saudi Arabia were made on stage and not intended for publication, referencing his own experiences with backlash in the U.S. over transgender jokes.
- Bill Maher had publicly disputed Chappelle’s claim about free speech in Saudi Arabia, prompting Chappelle’s pointed remarks in his stand-up special.
Dave Chappelle just sent a fiery message to Bill Maher after the late-night host slammed comments he made about free speech at a Saudi comedy festival.
On Friday, December 19, the comedian’s stand-up special, Dave Chappelle: The Unstoppable, dropped on Netflix. And in it, Chappelle, 52, issued a direct response to the Real Time With Bill Maher host, 69, calling him out in October.
“You know, and Bill Maher, the famous comedian,” he said at one point. “I’ve known Bill since I was like 18, 19 years old, and I’ve never said this publicly, but f*** that guy.”
Chappelle added, “I’m so f***ing tired of his little smug cracker-a** commentary.”
On the October 3 episode of Real Time, Maher spoke with guest Louis C.K. about the Riyadh Comedy Festival held from late September through early October. “Dave Chappelle…was in the press today saying that you can speak more freely over here than in America,” Maher said. “It is not true.”
Louis C.K., who also performed at the festival, replied, “I don’t know if that’s true.” To that, Maher insisted, “Oh, it’s not true,” before quipping that Chappelle should try out a joke about Muhammad and see how it goes.
@truthandscience #billmaher #davechappelle ♬ original sound – Truth and Science
In his Netflix special, Chappelle clarified of free speech comment, saying, “I didn’t tell them to put this in the paper. I just said it on stage.” He also told the audience, “Don’t forget what I just went through.”
Chappelle continued, “Two years ago, I almost got canceled right here in the United States for transgender jokes. But I gotta tell you something: Transgender jokes went over very well in Saudi Arabia.”
Although Real Time With Bill Maher is currently on a holiday hiatus, new episodes kick off on Friday, January 23.
Real Time with Bill Maher, Season 24, Premieres, Friday, January 23, 2026, HBO
Conversation13 Comments
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E
Dave is a pathetic sellout.
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N
I\'m buying in. Thx Dave!
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J
Love me some Chappelle!
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I
Saudi Arabia just executed a journalist who reported on things that angered the monarchy. There is no free speech there.
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F
Eh, I get what he\'s saying. If you say the wrong thing in SA, you will probably get arrested and executed by the government. If you\'re a celebrity, that armors you but only to a degree. If you say the wrong thing in the US, you might get killed by a crazed stalker or political extremist from one side or the other. Being a celebrity make one more vulnerable in that scenario. To find evidence without going far, just look at how irate some of the others in this comment section are acting. Just this year, Charlie Kirk was killed for what he said as a minor celebrity. In both places, you take a calculated risk of being killed for saying something that upsets a stranger. It is less freedom on SA than in the US, but the two are comparable.
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S
Maher is right, if it is such free speech in Saudi, try cracking a Mohamed joke. Of course, free speech in USA is also an utopia these days.
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X
What does \"free speech... is also an utopia these days\" mean? Did autocorrect typo that as sentence for you?
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W
I think he\'s a POS. And I would never watch one of his shows or comedy specials ever again. He seems to think he\'s Superior LOL he\'s completely wrong
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J
You mean Mahar, of course.
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A
May they wrap his ashes in his bank statement.
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P
Bill\'$ outlook is Marred.
He\'s gone the way of Miller, Stallone, Voight, Eastwood, Spacey, Woods and the rest of Hollywoodn\'t.
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G
Barely funny, mainly punny
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P
I glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for playing.
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