On June 27, 2025, American stand-up comedian and actor Dave Chappelle performed at a show at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Midway through his set, Chappelle called out disc jockey and record producer DJ Khaled for his silence on Palestine.
Khaled, although a US citizen by birth, has Palestinian ancestry and was born to Palestinian immigrant parents in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Additionally, the comedian ridiculed the former Terror Squad hip-hop collective member for seemingly being overweight.
“DJ Khaled, let me tell you something. For a Palestinian, this man is awfully quiet right now. And as a Palestinian, how could you be that quiet right now? And why are you so fat? People are starving. He’s the only fat Palestinian on Earth right now,” Dave Chappelle quipped.Notably, the Chappelle’s Show creator rebuked DJ Khaled after a member of the audience at his Abu Dhabi show yelled out the latter’s name.
While DJ Khaled has been silent about the tensions in Palestine, Dave Chappelle has been vocal about his pro-Palestine stance, including at his 2024 show in Abu Dhabi.
So far, Khaled hasn’t responded to Chappelle’s remarks about him.
Dave Chappelle also criticized Donald Trump at his Abu Dhabi show
Last Friday night, Dave Chappelle took to the stage at the ongoing Abu Dhabi Comedy Season 2025. Apart from throwing shade at DJ Khaled, the comedian also put Donald Trump under fire for his alleged unpredictable nature.
“Trump – I don't know about this guy. I can't tell if he's going to do good or not. What a week you guys must have had over here in the Middle East,” Dave stated.The Buddies alum also called out the POTUS’ post on Truth Social earlier this month.
“Trump wrote that, ‘We did a meticulously perfect attack. We have disabled their nuclear facility.’ And then at the end of the post, he said, ‘And now is the time for peace!’ Word? I don’t think that’s how this works, champ,” Chappelle added.The 51-year-old comic further roasted United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over the security controversy in March, who reportedly made geopolitical/ military plans over messaging platforms such as Signal, with other members of the administration.
“Everybody in America is scared. It’s not good when Bible places are in the news. That means it might be the end of times. And if it is, you know what? I had a good run,” the entertainer joked.He also called himself a “big powerful voice” in the USA, yet learning that he needed to be “careful” not to get into “some kind of trouble.”
“They’ll try to extort me and put words in my mouth so that I come out here and lie to you. So, if that ever happens, we need a phrase. It has to be something that I would never say. So that if I say it, you know not to listen to anything I say after that. You ready? The phrase is: I stand with Israel,” Chappelle concluded.This is not the first time Dave Chappelle has condemned Donald Trump. Earlier, during his January 2025 appearance on Saturday Night Live, he pleaded with Trump to empathize with Palestinians.
Abu Dhabi Comedy Season 2025 will wrap up on July 12 with Bill Burr's performance.
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Edited by Prem Deshpande