David Spade Talks Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Netflix’s Feedback – The Hollywood

David Spade has never shied away from potentially pushing buttons, and his new Netflix special is certainly no exception, even if he claims to have no intention of causing debate.

The comedian recently dropped Nothing Personal, his first special for the streamer after starring in a number of Netflix films, including 2020’s The Wrong Missy opposite Lauren Lapkus. The hour-long set includes a wide array of bits solely designed to deliver carefree laughs, including one about a daring airplane pilot and another about the dastardly crabs that invaded his room during his stint as guest host on ABC’s Bachelor in Paradise last year.

That said, he also has jokes that won’t disappoint any fans who particularly enjoy his ability to stir the pot. When asked during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter about a few topics from the special that could potentially raise eyebrows — for example, he has jokes referencing pedophilia, trans people, COVID-19 and Alec Baldwin’s Rust investigation — he admits that a number of bits were ones he didn’t decide to include until the day of filming and that he has almost forgotten some of them at this point.

“These aren’t my hardcore beliefs,” the Saturday Night Live alum, 57, explains. “This is me saying something to shock or surprise you to elicit a laugh. If I say the five jokes we’re all allowed to say that have been approved by the world, then who’s laughing?”

The star, who co-hosts the Fly on the Wall podcast with Dana Carvey, has a lot to say about the current state of comedy, including his close friend Chris Rock having been slapped at the Oscars by Will Smith, plus the ongoing discussion surrounding Dave Chappelle. “Since the Will Smith incident, I feel there’s a change in the air,” Spade says.

During his chat with THR, Spade discusses the joke of his that Netflix didn’t love, how he might have handled the Oscars incident, having a high-profile dating life, Chappelle’s Hollywood Bowl attack and the project that might be next for himself and frequent collaborator Adam Sandler.

You definitely don’t seem to censor yourself in the special. What went into deciding which topics to cover?

I’m from an era of comedy when you were supposed to push things. Everyone was — that was the whole idea. And people would go and sort of escape to hear comics and laugh, and it’s all in good fun. And I would poke fun at people and move on, but it’s gotten very tricky business in general, and then one more wave was after the Oscars, so everyone has an opinion. With the invention of Twitter, you don’t just hear general opinions — you hear one at a time from everyone on the planet. You realize you’re never gonna please anyone, and they’re gonna let you know. Overall, I wanted to stay true to what I did, and I have people that know what I do. People that don’t like me, I don’t know if I can flip them with this.

Obviously, Dave Chappelle’s special was met with backlash over his comments about trans people, and your special has jokes about, say, Caitlyn Jenner. Was there any kind of conversation with Netflix about how to handle material like that? 

There’s something to say for everyone wanting to be treated equal, and it’s a fine line between being able to make fun of everyone and having to stay away from people. Some people, some religions, some places would be like, “Hey, treat me like everyone else, make fun of me like everyone else and respect me like everyone else.” It’s all just a level playing field — ideally. Now, it is not, in reality, and everyone shies away from everything. I think with someone like [Sylvester] Stallone, who I poke fun at but actually really like in real life, there’s no malice or anger or vitriol. Caitlyn Jenner, I’ve met, and perfectly cool. So my angle was more the names and also making fun of myself. I don’t think I get enough credit, or that comedians do, when they make fun of themselves because that’s part of a level playing field. I get three to me, one to you.

I’m not saying I am some great guy. Also, Chappelle is a very deep thinker. He’s sort of America’s comic, and you go to him because he’s highly, highly respected and been around forever. He has the ear of the world. My comedy is more of a skim job. I’m not here to say anything super important, and I’m not changing the world. So I’m just saying, “Hey, here’s a couple funny thoughts.” Dennis Miller told me once — I wasn’t doing well in the clubs; I wasn’t killing — and he was my favorite comic at the time when I was starting, and he thought I was funny. And then I came back about six months later, and he saw me, and he goes, “Dude, what are you doing? What happened to your act?” I go,…