‘I LIKE SILLY CHAPPELLE’

‘Abbott Elementary’ Star Janelle James Finds Chappelle’s New Standup ‘Boring’

“Your objective is to make people laugh and then sneak your thoughts in underneath the jokes,” she said.

Abbott Elementary star and comedian Janelle James isn’t impressed with David Chappelle’s recent standup, according to a new Variety profile. In the cover story, published Wednesday, James discussed her boredom with the award-winning comic, who garnered criticism and sparked protests for making transphobic jokes in his 2021 Netflix special, The Closer. “The last thing I watched of his was when he came out with all the specials at once,” James said. “Regardless of what he said, I thought it was boring. I like silly Chappelle. He’s in his wisdom bag now.” The Emmy-nominated actress added that Chappelle has prioritized his opinions over making audiences laugh. “We’re clowns! Once we forget that we’re clowns, then it becomes bad,” she continued. “Your objective is to make people laugh and then sneak your thoughts in underneath the jokes. If your thoughts are on top, that’s not funny or entertaining to me.”