Dave Chappelle took aim at DJ Khaled’s silence on the Gaza conflict, drawing laughs and raising eyebrows.
During a recent performance, comedian Dave Chappelle took aim at Palestinian-American artist DJ Khaled for his silence on the ongoing war in Gaza. The moment, at a sold-out Etihad Arena as part of Abu Dhabi Comedy Season, was sparked when an audience member shouted out Khaled’s name.
Chappelle responded with biting humor.
“DJ Khaled, let me tell you something,” he began. “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.”
Chappelle’s remarks touched on a criticism that has been circulating for months. In February 2024, DJ Khaled’s cousin, Fadie Musallet, publicly expressed disappointment over the producer’s silence. Many human rights groups have called the destruction of Palestine a humanitarian crisis and genocide in Gaza.
“There’s no reason, there’s no excuse when you’re actually a Palestinian,” Musallet said during an interview. “For me, my mother lives there. We’re from the same village, same families. So, there’s no excuse… I do a lot of work with refugee camps, raise money for Gaza and the West Bank. I put my heart into this.”
Chappelle has been outspoken about the suffering of Palestinians since the Israel-Gaza war reignited in 2023. During a 2023 performance in Abu Dhabi, he called Israel’s actions “genocide,” receiving cheers from the crowd.
Chappelle used a January 2024 appearance on Saturday Night Live to urge the president, before the re-election, to show empathy toward Palestinians.
In his most recent UAE appearance, Chappelle didn’t directly address the conflict. He also stated he has to be more cautious than in the past, include his criticism of Trump.
“Now that I’m a big powerful voice in America, I’ve learned that I have to be careful,” he said. “I can get in some kind of trouble and they’ll try to extort me and put words in my mouth. So if that ever happens, we need a phrase—something I’d 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.”
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