Chappelle announced the decision at a dedication ceremony, according to a Washington Post report. In recent months, the animator has sparked controversy with transphobic comments and jokes that have provoked criticism from civil rights groups and school students. During Monday’s dedication ceremony, Chappelle said she decided to decline the honor because she did not want her name to be distracted from student work at the school. Last year, The Duke Ellington School of the Arts initially postponed the name of its theater following a backlash against Chappelle’s Netflix comedy special, “The Closer.” The set included graphic jokes about transgender women. “No matter what they say about ‘The Closer,’ it’s still one of the most-watched specials on Netflix,” Chappelle said Monday, according to USA Today. “The more you say I can’t say something, the more urgent it is for me to say it. It has nothing to do with what you say I can’t say. It has everything to do with my freedom of artistic expression.”
Instead, the theater will be called the Theater for Freedom and Artistic Expression.
Duke Ellington principal Sandi Logan told the Washington Post that the school has held several conversations with students and staff about Chappelle’s inclusion.
Chappelle is from Washington, DC and graduated in 1991 from the prestigious school, which educates a predominantly black student body and, according to Logan, a major LGBTQ community. Last year, Chappelle pledged to donate $ 100,000 to the school theater.