Dave Chappelle Releases Netflix Comedy Special ‘The Unstoppable’

Dave Chappelle delivered an early Christmas gift to fans on Friday night. The Emmy-winning comedian surprise released a new Netflix special, titled The Unstoppable, shortly after the boxing match between Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua ended in a victory for Joshua.

“I wanted to shout out my hometown, Washington, D.C., and thank everybody that came out in October to support me at that show,” Chappelle said in an Instagram video posted to the Netflix is a Joke account. “I just want you to know that show will be streaming on Netflix tonight after the fight. My new special drops, and I hope you love it. Thank you very much.” He signed off, “Chicka, Chicka!”

The special clocks in at 1 hour and 15 minutes, while the logline reads: “Facing a world gone sideways, comedy icon Dave Chappelle delivers bold truths and potent punchlines in this no-holds-barred special.”

The standup special is Chappelle’s eighth with the streaming service, following The Age of Spin, Deep in the Heart of Texas, Equanimity, The Bird Revelation, Sticks & Stones, The Closer, and The Dreamer.

Netflix also quietly released What’s in a Name? in 2022, a 40-minute video of Chappelle speaking at his alma mater, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, during which he addressed the criticism he’s faced for his jokes about transgender people.

In September, Chappelle was among the comics that performed at Riyadh Comedy Festival. Chappelle and many other comedians were criticized for participating in the event that Human Rights Watch said was being used to deflect attention from the country’s “brutal repression of free speech.”

During his set at the festival, Chappelle used his performance to comment on free speech in the United States. “Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you’ll get canceled,” the comedian told the audience, according to The New York Times. He later added, “It’s easier to talk here than it is in America.”