Morgan Freeman’s dulcet tones are legendary — but Dave Chappelle didn’t seem to agree in the recently released trailer for Chappelle’s new Netflix special, “The Closer.”
In the clip, Chappelle is seen driving down a long country road, seemingly alone. Freeman’s voice can be heard narrating Chappelle’s journey.
“This is Dave. He tells jokes for a living. Driving down these country roads is a lot like a meditation. He’s deep in thought. Back in the trance. Five specials in as many years,” Freeman says, “How do you close a body of work that profound?”
Freeman then begins to harp on about “the enormity of the pressure” of closing out a series of comedy specials. The camera, fixed on an increasingly uncomfortable-looking Chappelle.
Eventually, Chappelle has had enough. He slams his foot on the breaks before turning to Freeman — who has been sitting beside him the entire time — and yells: “Will you shut the f—k up Morgan Freeman?!”
Freeman then apologizes and Chappelle responds, “it’s alright.” The pair continue their journey on the open road.
In 2016, Chappelle inked a deal with Netflix to release a series of special events. “The Age Of Spin,” “Deep In The Heart Of Texas,” “Equanimity, “The Bird Revelation,” and “Sticks & Stones” have all been released on the streaming platform.
Though successful, Chappelle’s offerings were not without criticism. He received backlash for several of his jokes. Critics slammed Chappelle’s “dated” jokes.
He remained unbothered.
“There was a thing going on in the press where everyone was saying that the specials were dated, because there were jokes in there that they considered transphobic,” Chappelle told Joe Rogan back in March. “I still don’t think those jokes are transphobic, I’m not gonna have that discussion but if I ever have to, boy I’m ready.”
