Netflix has announced that Dave Chappelle will headline three consecutive nights at the Hollywood Palladium from May 7–9 as part of Netflix Is a Joke Fest 2026 — an immersive experience blending comedy, live music, and surprise guest appearances.
Tickets go on sale April 29 at 10 a.m. PT. Netflix has already dropped a teaser ahead of the performances.
Chappelle’s relationship with Netflix spans nearly ten years. In 2017, the streamer released four of his stand-up specials simultaneously — The Age of Spin, Deep in the Heart of Texas, Equanimity, and The Bird Revelation — marking his first publicly released specials since 2004. His most recent release, The Unstoppable, is his eighth Netflix special to date.
“Dave Chappelle is that rare artist where the entire industry pays attention every time he takes the stage,” a senior Netflix content executive said. “This isn’t just business — it’s a cultural investment.”
Chappelle’s recent accolades underscore his standing as one of the most decorated voices in American comedy. His Netflix special The Dreamer, released on Christmas Eve 2023, earned him a Grammy Award. Then in 2025, he made history by becoming the first comedian ever to receive the NAACP President’s Award — a recognition that speaks to his broader cultural impact far beyond the comedy stage.
Chappelle has long operated at the intersection of comedy and live music, frequently sharing the stage with artists including The Roots, Yasiin Bey (fka Mos Def), and John Mayer. The three Hollywood Palladium shows are expected to carry on that tradition, with surprise guest appearances confirmed as part of the experience.
Netflix faced significant backlash over jokes Chappelle made about the transgender community across several of his specials, yet the streamer stood by its star without hesitation. Chappelle has consistently pushed back on the transphobic label.
In a recent conversation with NPR’s Newsmakers host Michel Martin, he drew a sharp line between his comedy and its political appropriation — pointing to the Republican Party’s use of transgender jokes as a campaign tool and stating that weaponizing his material was never his intent.
