SILVER SPRING, Md. – While campaigning for Maryland Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ben Jealous, comedian Dave Chappelle said he wishes that the #MeToo movement would “speak to black women more.”
Chappelle described himself as neither a Democrat nor a Republican, but said he’s endorsing Jealous because the former NAACP president is a problem-solver.
“I know a lot of women saw today that Kavanaugh got the Supreme Court and I’ve got to tell you something, the #MeToo movement is correct, but man, I wish they would speak to black women more. And I know this is a very difficult time in American history, but right now we’ve got solutions,” Chappelle said during a “voter mobilization rally” alongside Jealous at Morgan State University’s homecoming on Saturday.
“The greatest thing I’ve done in my life is what I didn’t do. I’ve never been happier. I’m glad I quit that [Chappelle’s Show] and I didn’t take that goddamn money and I’ll tell you, when I came back, they respected me because my ‘no’ is real, man. You’ve got to be able to say ‘yes’ sometimes but you’ve got to be able to say ‘no’ sometimes and you’ve got to know what you’re picking – but if you’re not registered to vote, you can’t choose, so make yourselves eligible to make a choice. Register to vote,” he added.
During the Beltway campaign rally, Jealous told the audience that he would seek to provide universal pre-kindergarten for every 4-year-old, “fully fund” public schools, raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour and legalize recreational marijuana use as governor.
“If you haven’t figured it out, Dave Chappelle is the cannabis lobby,” Jealous said as Chappelle applauded at the event, which Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and CNN commentator Van Jones also attended.
Following the Silver Spring rally, PJM asked Chappelle for his opinion of Kanye West’s recent pro-Trump rant on NBC’s Saturday Night Live.
“Ah, I don’t want to do that,” replied Chappelle, a friend of West. “Sorry I couldn’t answer those questions.”
During a rally in Baltimore later in the day, Chappelle mentioned West when explaining his public support for Jealous.
“I wouldn’t come out here to lie to you. There’s nothing in it for me and you know from Kanye, I shouldn’t even be talking about politics, but I know why people respect me and I know powerful men shake my hand because they know where my power comes from – and it’s you, the people that watch my show, the people that supported me when I came back and made me strong enough to say no,” said Chappelle, who plays George “Noodles” Stone in the new film A Star Is Born with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.
“I’m just telling you, we’ve got to get the right people in there fighting for us and I swear this is the right guy, man,” he added.
When introducing Jealous at a campaign rally at the University of Maryland, Chappelle said Jealous supported him when he quit his Comedy Central show and went to South Africa.
“Ben was the first person that called me – and I don’t talk about this publicly and I’m not going to be specific about it – but he really helped me right my ship. His counsel was pretty much the beginning of me gathering the strength just to go on,” Chappelle said.
“I didn’t think I’d ever work in showbusiness again, but I had enough self-confidence and I had enough support that after a while I didn’t care whether or not I worked in showbusiness again,” he added. “This guy is a problem-solver. This guy is a committed advocate for people. I’m not a political person. If Ben was a Republican I’d still endorse him. If Ben was independent, I’d still endorse him. I’m not red; I’m not blue. But this guy is the truth.”
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