Old Clip Of George Carlin Calling Out Comedians Who Pick On 'Underdogs' Resurfaces Amid Chappelle Backlash

An old interview clip featuring the late comedian, George Carlin, resurfaced on the internet in the wake of the backlash surrounding Dave Chappelle's transphobic remarks on his Netflix special, The Closer.

Chappelle remained determined not to be "canceled" after he made comments like, "gender is a fact" and identified himself as a "TERF," or "trans-exclusionary radical feminist," on his sixth program with Netflix.

The streaming platform's solidarity with the irreverent stand-up comic resulted in trans staff writers and employees walking off the job last week and comedian Hannah Gadsby lambasting Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos for using her name as an example of the company's commitment to the LGBTQ+ community amidst the controversy.

In 1990, Carlin discussed with Larry King how comedian Andrew Dice Clay should be cautious about his jokes typically aimed at marginalized people.

Many believe Carlin's words back then hold relevancy now with the controversy Chappelle is facing.

"I would defend to the death his right to do everything he does," Carlin said then of Andrew Dice Clay, who is known for his "lewd, rude, and crude" brand of humor.

You can watch the video of the 1990 interview, here.

George Carlin Interview - On Comedians Who Pick On The Underdogs youtu.be

Carlin continued:

"The thing that I find unusual, and it's, you know, not a criticism so much, but his targets are underdog[s]. And comedy traditionally has picked on people in power, people who abuse their power."

"Women and gays and immigrants are kind of, to my way of thinking, underdog[s]. And, you know, he ought to be careful, because he's Jewish."

"And a lot of people who want to pick on these kind of groups, the Jews are on that list. A little further you've got women, gays, gypsies and boom, boom, boom, and suddenly you find the Jews."

When King asked why Dice Clay was able to "get away" with his offensive jokes at the expense of marginalized people, Carlin replied:

"I think his core audience are young, white males who are threatened by these groups."

"I think a lot of these guys aren't sure of their manhood, because that's a problem when you're going through adolescence. You know, 'Am I really, could I be, I hope I'm not one of them.'"

"And the women who assert themselves and are competent are a threat to these men, and so are immigrants in terms of jobs."

His words resonated with Twitter users.

Known for his dark comedy and for tackling religion and politics in his standup routines, George Carlin was regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comics of all time.

He died at the age of 71 due to cardiac failure in 2008.

That year, he was posthumously awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which is presented to those who have "had an impact on American society in ways similar to" Twain.

The same honor was presented to Dave Chappelle in 2019.