Dave Chappelle’s “8:46” | Know Your Meme

About

Dave Chappelle’s “8:46” is a 2020 standup comedy special performed by American comedian Dave Chappelle and produced by Netflix. The special focuses on the police brutality against Black Americans and the killing of George Floyd. The special’s title is a reference to the amount of time former police officer Derek Chauvin’s kneeled on George Floyd’s death. It was later named YouTube’s top trending video of the year.

History

On June 6th, 2020, Dave Chappelle held the “Dave Chappelle & Friends: A Talk with Punchlines” event at the Wirrig Pavilion in Yellow Springs, Ohio. 100 people attended the event, which producers held outside, abiding social distancing.

On June 11th, Netflix released the comedy special on YouTube without prior . The post received more than 29 million views in less than six months.

Reception

“8:46” received mostly positive reviews. For Vanity Fair, Jordan Hoffman wrote, “Can a comedy set win a Pulitzer? Dave Chappelle’s surprise Netflix special is called 8:46, for the unthinkable amount of time George Floyd was pinned by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. The show, which bypassed the streamer itself to go straight to YouTube, is atypical even for this unusual performer, and is more of an eloquent volcano of social criticism than a typical set. His storytelling and natural charisma make the monologue riveting, enraging, inspirational and, to those who still don’t understand what’s going on, informative.”

YouTube’s Top Trending Video of 2020

On December 1st, 2020, YouTube announced that Chappelle’s special was the top trending video of the year. Speaking to the Verge, Earnest Pettie, an analyst on YouTube’s culture and trends team said, “More than anything else, it sets the tone for how there was this thing that was happening in culture and in the world, and how people created content that reflected this moment that was happening. Viewers swarmed it.”

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External References