Stand-Up Comedy as Decolonial Performance

ABSTRACT This article explores stand-up’s potential as a decolonial performance practice through an examination of Dave Chappelle’s oeuvre of Netflix specials. Specifically, Joseph Richards relies on Thomas DeFrantz and Anita Gonzalez’s understanding of Black performance as operating through “loosened breath” to listen for the echoes of Black Power in Chappelle’s words and pauses. This article considers key moments in several of his Netflix specials, especially ones in which he addresses the intersections of whiteness and Caitlyn Jenner. When we view Chappelle’s performance as closing ranks, the author argues, we can see how it functions as decolonial.