Dave Chappelle roasts DJ Khaled on silence over Gaza

Comedian Dave Chappelle took the stage in Abu Dhabi and didn’t hold back during his performance at the sold-out Etihad Arena, while he made sharp jokes about US President Donald Trump and the Middle East conflict, it was DJ Khaled who became one of the biggest targets of Chappelle’s roasting.

Dave Chappelle, 51, has never shied away from controversial topics, and this time was no different.

According UAE based The National News, during the show, when a fan shouted DJ Khaled’s name from the crowd, Dave Chappelle used the moment to question the Palestinian-American music producer’s silence over the war in Gaza.

“DJ Khaled, let me tell you something,” Dave Chappelle said.

“For a Palestinian, this man is awfully quiet right now. And as a Palestinian, how could you be that quiet right now? And why are you so fat? People are starving. He’s the only fat Palestinian on Earth right now,” he joked, drawing loud laughs from the crowd.

Dave Chappelle mentioned DJ Khaled at least four times throughout the show, continuing his roast with a mix of humour and serious undertones about current events.

Chappelle’s comments sparked a strong reaction online, especially among fans wondering why DJ Khaled has not publicly spoken about the Gaza conflict.

While much of the focus was on DJ Khaled, Dave Chappelle also took aim at US president, Donald Trump.

He poked fun at Trump’s Truth Social message announcing recent air strikes and mocked the line: “And now is the time for peace!”

“Word? I don’t think that’s how this works, champ,” Chappelle said, earning another wave of laughter.

He also referenced a bizarre scandal involving US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and joked about military plans being shared over WhatsApp, saying, “Trump bombed Iran, in an attack that was carefully planned on WhatsApp.”

Dave Chappelle didn’t mention Palestine directly this time, but he ended his set with a powerful message: “Now that I’m a big powerful voice in America… we need a phrase that you know I would never say. So if I ever say it, you know they’ve gotten to me. The phrase is: ‘I stand with Israel.’”

The joke was met with a mix of applause and laughter, reinforcing Chappelle’s ongoing critical stance on the situation in Gaza. He has previously described Israel’s actions in the region as “genocide” during an earlier Abu Dhabi show in 2024.