Dave Chappelle‘s Minneapolis show last week might have been cancelled due to backlash, but he got (or gave) the last laugh as he made a surprise appearance at Madison Garden this weekend, opening for Chris Rock and Kevin Hart.
Chappelle appeared onstage and cracked jokes for about 20 minutes before turning the mic over to Rock and Hart. However, “The Closer” comedian came back onstage to help close out the show, joking with the other two comedy legends as to who was the comedy GOAT. They also took some shots at Will Smith and the infamous situation at this year’s Oscars in which Smith slapped Rock onstage.
The surprise appearance came just days after Chappelle’s canceled event at Minneapolis’s First Avenue theatre. The show was instead moved to the nearby Varsity Theater on Wednesday night. Protestors still showed up to protest the comedian.
The changed appearance comes months after Chappelle was attacked onstage by a knife-wielding who claimed to be opposed to Chapelle’s rhetoric, which has been met with criticism by some members of the LGBTQ community. The man successfully tacked Chappelle, but was detained by event security guards before being transferred to police custody.
