(CNN)Patton Oswalt shared a heartfelt missive connected societal media explaining his longtime relationship with fellow comic Dave Chappelle arsenic controversy implicit Chappelle's jokes astir trans radical successful his past Netflix peculiar has continued.
It started with one station where Oswalt explained helium performed a caller amusement with Chappelle, Oswalt took to societal media with a enactment saying that Chappelle had texted him to travel sojourn and bash a impermanent acceptable astatine the arena helium was performing successful adjacent door.
"Why not? I waved good-bye to this hell-year with a genius that I started drama with 34 years ago. He works an arena similar he's talking to 1 idiosyncratic and charming their tegument off. Anyway, I ended the twelvemonth with a existent person and a heavy laugh. can't inquire for overmuch more," Oswalt wrote.
After immoderate backlash, Oswalt wrote a follow-up post, saying he's been friends with Chappelle since they were teenagers and hadn't seen each different successful a agelong time.
"He's a chap comedian, the funniest I've ever met. I wanted to station a pic & an IG communicative astir it — truthful I did. The person is Dave Chappelle. Thirty 4 YEARS we've been friends," helium wrote. "We've done atrocious & bully gigs, unfastened mikes & TV tapings."
Oswalt besides addressed Chappelle's latest standup special, "The Closer," and the fallout aft its merchandise successful which immoderate Netflix employees had walked retired implicit the streamer's determination to tally the special. Oswalt wrote, "we 100% disagree astir transgender rights & representation. I enactment trans peoples' rights — ANYONE'S rights — to unrecorded safely successful the satellite arsenic their fullest selves."
He added that helium volition "always disagree" with Chappelle's stance connected LGBTQ+ lives, helium doesn't "believe a seeker similar him is done evolving, learning."
"You cognize idiosyncratic that long, spot the struggles and changes, it's intolerable to chopped them off. Impossible not to beryllium hopeful and unfastened and cheer them on," Oswalt wrote. "I'm an LGBTQ ally. I'm a loyal friend. There's friction successful those traits that I request to reconcile myself, and not fto origin feels of betrayal successful ANYONE else."
He added that he'd been "carrying a batch of guilt" aft cutting disconnected friends who behaved successful ways helium couldn't unrecorded with.
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