Dave Chappelle defended comedian Michelle Wolf’s roast at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, calling it “cathartic” and “beautiful.”
“I don’t know who those people think they are that she can’t say that to them, cause they offend people all the time. And I think that for many people … it’s cathartic to watch that woman speak truth to power like that,” the 44-year-old comedian shared on the “PBS NewsHour” Monday.
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“And whether they understand it or not, there was an enormous amount of levity in what she did,” he added. “But it was very flat-footed and it was grounded in her truth and whether I agree with it or not, I gotta respect the artistry. I gotta respect the gangsta.”
“I know how hard it is to do what she did … I think she nailed it,” he continued. “I thought it was beautiful. I didn’t see her pander once and I thought that was beautiful.”
During her appearance Saturday night at the annual dinner, Wolf took jabs at White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, Kelllyanne Conway and made jokes about abortion. Her performance has been criticized by journalists on the left and right as going “too far.”
Responding to the backlash on Monday, Wolf said she regrets nothing that she said.
“I wouldn’t change a single word that I said,” the former “Daily Show” comedian explained in an interview that will air Tuesday on NPR. “I’m very happy with what I said, and I’m glad I stuck to my guns.”