The personal is political: viewing Dave Chappelle’s 8:46 (2020) as a political intervention

Dave Chappelle, perhaps the pre-eminent Black comedian of this era, released Dave Chappelle: 8:46 (2020), which blurred the lines between comedic performance and confessional. Chappelle’s 8:46 is a fervent denunciation of police brutality filmed shortly after the police killing of George Floyd and its subsequent protests. It provides a poignant moment—both of righteous indignation and vulnerability—and serves as an impactful form of resistance. Drawing upon performance scholar Ronald J. Elias’s autoethnographic poem ‘A Political Listing: A Rant, a Confession, and a Hope’ (2018), a fervent plea for peace in the wake of continued Middle East conflict in which he presents political inquiry in a three-part structure (rant, confession, hope), this paper examines how Chappelle’s performance utilises this same structure to engage in political intervention in public discourse on those matters. It argues that the personal nature of Chappelle’s performance; its uncharacteristic structure—which contrasts sharply with his traditionally deft storytelling; and his empowering resolution allow for an impactful statement against police brutality.