The Emmys have come and gone, and many of Hollywood’s biggest names were honored with the coveted golden statues. This year’s Emmy season featured plenty of notable moments and achievements. Among them was a particularly passionate acceptance speech from comedian Dave Chappelle. The comic has never been known to shy away from speaking his mind and, when he accepted an Emmy for his Netflix comedy special Sticks & Stones, he used a few choice words and dropped an f-bomb or two in the process.
Dave Chappelle’s Sticks & Stones won three awards at the Creative Arts Emmy -- Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded), Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special and Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special. When the comedian accepted the award for Outstanding Writing, he didn’t hold back in speaking to his critics. He began his speech sarcastically reacting to the win before making a blunt suggestion to those who doubted the special:
Boy, this comes as a complete surprise. I mean I read all the reviews, and they said so many terrible things. They were embarrassed for me, I’d lost my way, it wasn’t even worth watching. I hope all you critics learn from this. This is a teachable moment. Shut the fuck up forever.
Sticks & Stones, which originally debuted on Netflix in August 2019, was Dave Chappelle’s fifth stand-up special with the streamer. In the show, Chappelle takes a serious look at cancel culture, particularly in regard to Kevin Hart’s dismissal as the host of the Oscars. Chapelle also gave his take on recent controversies including the allegations against R. Kelly and Michael Jackson. While Chappelle’s critique of cancel culture was praised, his views on the allegations aimed at the singers drew a more mixed response.
With his award wins and speech, Chappelle definitely seemed to be relishing the fact that he can say “I told you so.” And he certainly made his thoughts known in the most Dave Chappelle way possible.
In addition to addressing the critics, Dave Chappelle also used his speech to acknowledge his fellow nominees as well as his Sticks & Stones collaborators. He gave a particularly sweet shout-out to veteran director Stan Lathan, who’s Sticks & Stones win earned him his first Emmy. This may come a surprise given the director has been a staple of sitcoms for decades. The comedian also took a moment to thank his wife for her support.
And on what the comedian called “a very special night for comedy,” he expressed his hope that “the war is over” You can check Chappelle’s speech in its entirety from his Instagram page down below:
It’s safe to say that no one can quite deliver a speech like Dave Chappelle, and his comments at this year’s Emmys are certainly going to be discussed for years to come. Sticks & Stones is currently available to stream on Netflix.
