Dave Chappelle Abandoned Fans at Florida Casino, Actor Joe Reitman Alleges

Dave Chappelle arguably had a successful fall tour, save for one night at one stop at the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood. (Image: PictureLux / The Hollywood Archive / Alamy)

Comedy superstar Dave Chappelle was nearing the end of his set at the Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida, last week when he literally dropped the mic – and not in a triumphant way. 

“He turned to the audience and said, ‘I work so hard,’” recalled actor Joe Reitman, who was at the performance. “He then said ‘good night’ and rolled the mic off his fingers to drop it and stormed off the stage. It was very much a fuck you to the audience.”

Chappelle reportedly lost his cool upon noticing someone in the third row recording, in violation of clearly stated rules forbidding electronic devices. Attendees at Chappelle’s shows are required to put their phones and smart watches in locked neoprene pouches for the duration of the performance.

Casinos.com spoke with Reitman, who says he greatly respects Chappelle as an artist, considers himself a fan, and understands the multitude of reasons for not allowing any potential recording device. But he says he was seriously disappointed to see an entertainer of Chappelle’s stature call it quits without warning. 

“When you’re performing in front of a few thousand people, there are going to be a few jerks in the audience,” Reitman said. “How you deal with that is part of being the artist that you are.” 

Exit, Stage Left

While plenty of the online public balked at Chappelle’s abrupt closure, CNN commentator Dean Obeidallah, himself a former comedian, wrote in an op-ed that the reaction was right and justified, as the audience member was to blame. 

Reitman believes this take ignores the people who paid to see him perform.

“I don’t think you can make an excuse for punishing an entire audience,” Reitman said, “as if we all did something wrong, as if we all hurt him." 

Reitman is a journeyman actor based in LA with an extensive filmography in movies and TV, including notable roles in films such as “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” “The Perfect Storm,” and “Townies.” He played Kelly Bundy’s boyfriend in “Married with Children” in the 1990s and more recently Very Bad Santa in the series “Happy!”

Chappelle released his latest Netflix special, “The Dreamer,” on Dec. 31, apparently with material from this tour. Chappelle reportedly has made $20 million each from Netflix for six previous comedy specials. 

Cost of Artistic Freedom

“I have no problem with anything he says. I want him to have the freedom to say anything,” Reitman said. “But as an artist, you have a responsibility to your audience, especially if they’re paying a large sum of money to see you.”

Tickets for the event started at $115 and went up to $395. The show was sold out and were being offered on third-party apps like SeatGeek for anywhere from $140 to $1,000 or more. 

“I really wish he would’ve turned to us and explained why it’s so important to have the phones not there.” Reitman said he totally supports Chappelle’s desire to protect his intellectual property and artistic freedom. “I really would’ve liked to hear his stance. And he could feel free to vent about why it’s so upsetting. We all would’ve listened.” 

Joe Reitman, seen here in 2019 at a charity poker and casino night at Paramount Studios. (Image: Priscilla Grant / Everett Collection / Alamy)

The Show Must Didn’t Go On

Part of the reason Reitman was unsettled was because the ending, or lack thereof, sullied an evening out with his octogenarian father. 

“My dad loves Dave Chappelle, and I wanted to give him a great experience that left him with a smile on his face. And I feel like I was robbed of that.” 

Reitman was in Florida visiting his parents for the holidays, and tickets to this show were a gift to his dad. 

His dad made a comment that he was from a different generation, where as a comedian your number-one job was to leave the audience laughing. “And I come from a world where the show must go on,” Reitman said. 

This show was part of the “Dave Chappelle Live: It’s A Celebration, B!%?#&$!” tour. It was the second of five nights at the Hard Rock Live venue at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino between Christmas and New Years. 

After walking out on Wednesday’s show, Chappelle returned to perform Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and there were no reported illicit recording incidents. Or if there were any, he didn't let them spoil the show for anyone else.

Hard Rock Live is a 7,000-person venue at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood, Florida, and was the only casino venue and the last stop on Chapelle’s 19-city tour.