On his new Netflix special ‘8:46,’ comedian Dave Chappelle primarily addresses racism, police brutality and the murder of George Floyd, as the title of the special suggests. However, Chappelle also touches on his emotional response to another recent event: The tragic death of Kobe Bryant on January 26th.
On that same day, the Grammy Awards were being held at Staples Center in Los Angeles, and although he would go on to win a Best Comedy Album for his Sticks & Stones show, Chappelle chose to skip the event upon hearing the tragic news.
As Chappelle notes, Kobe’s retired jersey numbers of 8 and 24 were displayed during the Grammys, and in a mild coincidence, his own birthday is August 24th, or 8-24.
January feels like a million years ago, but Kobe’s passing is something that many of us are still coming to terms with, and Chappelle’s tribute is an impactful one.
