Could Dave Chappelle be the next Republican senator from Ohio? Conservative CNN contributor Scott Jennings wants to see the “Chappelle’s Show” creator in the U.S. Senate.
During a segment last week on CNN’s “NewsNight” program, Jennings offered his take on who could replace current junior Ohio Sen. JD Vance if he is elected to be vice president under Kamala Harris as the running mate of MAGA leader Donald Trump.
“My belief is that if he becomes Vice president, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has the chance to do something amazing in U.S. politics and that’s appoint Dave Chappelle to the United States Senate from the great state of Ohio,” Jennings opined.
He continued, “I’m for Dave Chappelle, a farmer from Yellow Springs, between Dayton and Columbus, it would make C-SPAN appointment television, and I don’t know what party he’s in, but I know that putting Dave Chappelle on the floor of the U.S. Senate would make our legislature great again. DeWine here’s your chance. Elect Vance, go for Chappelle.”
The former associate director in the Office of Political Affairs for George W. Bush’s White House started an online debate about the possibility of Chappelle entering politics as a Republican.
“What’s his policy going to be? Just pointlessly ranting about trans people?” an X user asked about Chappelle running for office, referring to the comic’s controversial wisecracks.
Chappelle received backlash for his repeated jokes in his comedy specials like 2021’s “The Closer” and 2023’s “The Dreamer” on Netflix. Other people on the internet also zeroed in on the Washington, D.C., native’s views.
“Dave Chappelle went from being one of the best comedians to ever hold a mic who made great social commentary on racism to being a white man running for senate as a Republican who makes unfunny remarks towards trans people,” a person on X tweeted in JanUary 2024.
Dave Chappelle has political ambition in his blood. The 50-year-old entertainer was named after William David Chappelle, a once-enslaved man who later served in the S.C. state legislature. William David Chappelle is also a former president of Allen University.
In contrast to the social media commenters bashing Dave Chappelle possibly replacing JD Vance in the Senate, some fans of the “Half Baked” actor have embraced the idea of him stepping into the political arena.
“He’s always spoke the truth. I’d love to see him go this route… talk about full circle,” a Chappelle supporter posted in May 2022 in response to a video of the five-time Grammy Award winner’s 2017 visit to Allen University.
If Chappelle were to turn down any purported chance to head back to Washington as a member of the Senate he still would likely have a hand in politics. For instance, Chappelle endorsed Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Hill Harper in Michigan.
“You’re doing the right thing, Hill. You’re doing exactly what I’d do. Just talk to the streets,” Chappelle told the actor-turned-politician at an ActBlue-sponsored comedy show/fundraising event in Detroit on July 11.
Hill Harper lost the Democratic primary in Michigan to Rep. Elissa Slotkin on Aug. 5. Prior to those election results, Chappelle’s decision to help Harper’s Senate campaign also faced scrutiny.
In July, the @CherCropping X account griped, “Hill Harper hosting Dave Chappelle during his presidential campaign is [almost] as insulting as Biden saying if you don’t vote for me you ain’t Black… these Black capitalists are playing in y’all faces too.”
Previously, Chappelle endorsed 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang. In January 2020, Yang tweeted, “Thank you @DaveChappelle and welcome to the #yanggang. You are the best. Let’s do this for our kids.”
Democrats chose Joe Biden to represent the party in the 2020 presidential race. Biden picked then-U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate. The Biden-Harris ticket defeated then-President Donald Trump and then-Vice President Mike Pence in the general election.
Chappelle rose to fame as a comedian and actor through appearances on television shows such as “Def Comedy Jam” and movies such as “The Nutty Professor.”
Comedy Central’s “Chappelle’s Show” is widely viewed as a TV classic. In 2005, Dave Chappelle abruptly walked away from his own sketch comedy series and moved to South Africa.
After returning to America, Chappelle signed a reported $60 million deal with Netflix. “The Age of Spin,” “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” “Equanimity,” and “The Bird Revelation” specials debuted on the streaming platform in 2017.
Chappelle’s “The Closer” special premiered on Netflix in 2021. His co-sign of the trans-exclusionary radical feminism movement, also known as TERF, led to Netflix employees staging a protest over his perceived anti-trans commentary.
