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Dave Chappelle Announces Fall 2023 Tour Dates

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After an explosive and contentious Netflix special in 2021, Dave Chappelle is hitting the road again.

The veteran comedian has announced the dates for a fall stand-up comedy tour, titled “Dave Chappelle Live,” which will open with twin dates at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Aug. 22-23 and conclude at Chicago’s United Center on Oct. 4.

Tickets to the tour, produced by Live Nation, will be available starting with local presales on Wednesday, July 26. The general onsale begins on Thursday, July 27, at 10 a.m. local time at Ticketmaster.com.

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Chappelle has been a controversial figure following his 2021 Netflix special “The Closer,” in which he made jokes about transgender people, leading to company walkouts and protests last October. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos originally defended Chappelle, saying in statement that the comedian is “one of the most popular stand-ups today” and “as with our other talent, we work hard to support their creative freedom — even though this means there will always be content on Netflix some people believe is harmful.” Sarandos ultimately said he “screwed up” in his reaction to the Chappelle backlash.

The comedian made headlines again in 2022 when he was attacked on stage while performing a comedy set during the Netflix Is a Joke festival in Los Angeles.

Check out the full list of dates below:

Aug. 22: New York City — Madison Square Garden
Aug. 23: New York City — Madison Square Garden
Sept. 8: Cleveland, Ohio — Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Sept. 9: Detroit, Michigan — Little Caesars Arena
Sept. 12: Lexington, Kentucky — Rupp Arena
Sept. 13: Indianapolis, Indiana — Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Sept. 15: New Orleans, Louisiana — Smoothie King Arena
Sept. 17: Kansas City, Missouri — T-Mobile Center
Sept. 18: Omaha, Nebraska — CHI Health Center
Sept. 21: Nashville, Tennessee — Bridgestone Arena
Sept. 23: Saint Paul, Minnesota — Xcel Energy Center
Oct. 4: Chicago — United Center

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Comedian Dave Chappelle announces fall dates for US comedy tour

Comedian Dave Chappelle is hitting the road this fall in a stand-up comedy tour called Dave Chappelle Live.

The news was reported exclusively on the July 25 episode of NBC's Today Show .

The tour, produced by Live Nation, kicks off in August with a pair of shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City and concludes in early October at the United Center in Chicago.

The tour includes stops in Detroit, New Orleans and Nashville, among other locations.

Local presale tickets will be available on July 26, while the general sale begins July 27 at 10 a.m. local time through Ticketmaster .

WHERE IS COMEDY GOING?: USA TODAY explores the future of making people laugh in new series

Dave Chappelle's 'The Closer' controversy

Dave Chappelle came under fire in 2021 for his Netflix standup special "The Closer." The special provoked backlash due to his remarks about the LBGTQ+ community , in particular his focus on the transgender community.

In the special, Chappelle resurfaced a December 2019 controversy in which “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling drew backlash after conflating sex with gender and defending ideas suggesting that changing one's biological sex was a threat to her own gender identity.

Chappelle also attempted to paint a juxtaposition between the pace of civil rights gained by the LGBTQ community and those fought for by the Black community.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos defended his decision to keep the special on the streaming service amid internal criticism from company employees.

Sarandos sent a staff memo at the time pledging Netflix's commitment to the special, citing Netflix's work in supporting their talent's creative freedom.

Sarandos' support of the special led to a walkout from a group of Netflix employees in 2021, a gesture that was amplified by emotional pleas from supporters of the walkout who rallied outside company headquarters.

The employees said company executives dismissed their concerns that Chappelle's comments in "The Closer" could lead to violence against the trans community.

At the time, two employees, one transgender and one non-binary, filed labor charges against the streaming giant alleging the company retaliated against them for speaking out aboutChappelle's special.

Hours before the walkout, Netflix shared a statement with USA TODAY: "We value our trans colleagues and allies, and understand the deep hurt that’s been caused. We respect the decision of any employee who chooses to walk out, and recognize we have much more work to do both within Netflix and in our content.”

"I want everyone in this audience to know that even though the media frames this that it's me versus that community, that is not what it is," Chappelle said in a 2021 Instagram clip. "Do not blame the LBGTQ (sic) community for any of this (expletive). This has nothing to do with them. It's about corporate interest, and what I can say, and what I cannot say."

"The Closer" received two Primetime Emmy nominations in 2022, including outstanding variety special (pre-recorded). Stan Lathan was also nominated for outstanding directing of a variety special for his work on "The Closer."

After the Emmy nominations were announced, people on social media voiced their frustration and criticized the decision to give further recognition to Chappelle's Netflix special.

Dave Chappelle attacked onstage

In May 2022, Chappelle was attacked onstage at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles during the Netflix Is A Joke festival.

An audience member stormed the stage asChappelle, 48, was exiting the stage after his performance, lunging at him and tackling him to the ground, according to a press release from the Los Angeles Police Department.

The man also pointed a replica handgun, which contained a knife blade, at Chappelle during the encounter, resulting in a charge for assault with a deadly weapon, according to police.

The man was identified as Isaiah Lee and in December 2022, he was sentenced to 270 days in county jail.

Dave Chappelle hosting 'Saturday Night Live'

In November 2022, Chappelle hosted "Saturday Night Live" for a third time, and the reception was not warm.

"SNL" writer Celeste Yim shared a seemingly pointed message after Chappelle was announced as host. "I'm trans and non-binary. I use they/them pronouns. Transphobia is murder and it should be condemned," they wrote on their Instagram Story alongside a photo from work, captured by a Reddit screenshot.

The hosting gig also came on the heels of "SNL" having just recently hired its first nonbinary cast member, Molly Kearney, just months before.

Dave Chappelle 2023 tour dates

Here are the scheduled dates for Chappelle's fall tour, according to a news release.

Aug. 22: New York City – Madison Square Garden
Aug. 23: New York City – Madison Square Garden
Sept. 8: Cleveland, Ohio – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Sept. 9: Detroit, Michigan – Little Caesars Arena
Sept. 12: Lexington, Kentucky – Rupp Arena
Sept. 13: Indianapolis, Indiana – Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Sept. 15: New Orleans, Louisiana – Smoothie King Arena
Sept. 17: Kansas City, Missouri – T-Mobile Center
Sept. 18: Omaha, Nebraska – CHI Health Center
Sept. 21: Nashville, Tennessee – Bridgestone Arena
Sept. 23: Saint Paul, Minnesota – Xcel Energy Center
Oct. 4: Chicago, Illinois – United Center

Contributing: Charles Trepany, Marco della Cava, Elise Brisco, Naledi Ushe, Anthony Robledo and Jenna Ryu, USA TODAY

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Dave Chappelle announces fall dates for his stand-up comedy tour

Dave Chappelle will hit the road this fall in a stand-up comedy tour called Dave Chappelle Live, announced exclusively July 25 on TODAY.

The tour opens with a pair of dates at New York City’s Madison Square Garden and wraps up at Chicago's United Center.

Here’s a look at all the dates.

Aug. 22: New York City — Madison Square Garden
Aug. 23: New York City — Madison Square Garden
Sept. 8: Cleveland, Ohio — Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Sept. 9: Detroit, Michigan — Little Caesars Arena
Sept. 12: Lexington, Kentucky — Rupp Arena
Sept. 13: Indianapolis, Indiana — Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Sept. 15: New Orleans, Louisiana — Smoothie King Arena
Sept. 17: Kansas City, Missouri — T-Mobile Center
Sept. 18: Omaha, Nebraska — CHI Health Center
Sept. 21: Nashville, Tennessee — Bridgestone Arena
Sept. 23: Saint Paul, Minnesota — Xcel Energy Center
Oct. 4: Chicago — United Center

Tickets will be available beginning with local presales on July 26, while the general sale kicks off July 27 at 10 a.m. local time at Ticketmaster.com.

A five-time Emmy Award winner with a provocative approach to a wide range of subjects, Chappelle was honored with the 2019 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. He also won the Grammy Award for best comedy three consecutive years, from 2018 through 2020.

Chappelle made headlines when a man attempted to attack him onstage during a 2022 show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. That man was later sentenced to 270 days in jail .

“He refuses to allow last night’s incident to overshadow the magic of this historic moment,” his rep said of Chappelle in a statement after the incident, while noting the show tied him with comedy troupe Monty Python as the comedians who have headlined the most performances at the Hollywood Bowl.

Drew Weisholtz is a reporter for TODAY Digital, focusing on pop culture, nostalgia and trending stories. He has seen every episode of “Saved by the Bell” at least 50 times, longs to perfect the crane kick from “The Karate Kid” and performs stand-up comedy, while also cheering on the New York Yankees and New York Giants. A graduate of Rutgers University, he is the married father of two kids who believe he is ridiculous.

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Dave Chappelle speaks into a microphone onstage.

Controversial comic Dave Chappelle is going the arena route this fall.

From Aug. 22 through Oct. 4, the 49-year-old provocateur will bring his ‘Dave Chappelle Live Tour’ to venues all over North America.

That includes back-to-back gigs at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Aug. 22 and Wednesday, Aug. 23 .

These two shows will be his first time at MSG since the “Chappelle’s Show” star opened for Chris Rock and Kevin Hart on their 2022 ‘Only Headliners Allowed Tour.’

What will the unpredictable comedian bring to the table on this upcoming tour?

It’s hard to say for certain but we can’t help but assume he’ll be pushing buttons with his hot takes.

And if you need tickets to see his edgy material live today, you can make that happen right now.

Although inventory isn’t available on Ticketmaster until Thursday, July 27, fans who want to ensure they have tickets ahead of time can purchase on sites like Vivid Seats before tickets are officially on sale.

Vivid Seats is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.

They have a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and will be delivered before the event.

Dave Chappelle 2023 tour schedule

A complete calendar including all upcoming tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets for all upcoming shows can be found below.

Blue Note Jazz Festival

Before the fall tour gets underway, Chappelle is slated to headline at Napa Valley, CA’s annual Blue Note Jazz Festival on July 28-30.

He’ll be performing alongside musical giants like Mary J. Blige , Chance The Rapper , Nas , Parliament Funkadelic and De La Soul .

You can scoop up last-minute tickets for the star-studded affair here .

Dave Chappelle controversy

Over the past few years, Chappelle made waves for his insensitive material about the transgender community in his Netflix specials “Sticks and Stones” and “The Closer.”

Rather than apologize for his remarks, he doubled down and defended his point of view.

Many big names have spoken out about his baseless attacks.

“Dave Chappelle making jokes about trans people directly leads to violence, whether it’s verbal or otherwise, against trans people,” said US soccer star Megan Rapinoe in an interview with Time Magazine .

Fellow comic Wanda Sykes shared with Variety that Chappelle’s material was “so hurtful and damaging to the trans community.”

That didn’t stop Chappelle from going after other marginalized groups.

In November 2022, Chappelle was asked to host NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” On the program, he made several anti-Semitic jokes in his 20-minute monologue.

At the time of publication, Chappelle has not issued a sincere apology to either community.