Jon Stewart Defends Dave Chappelle: ‘His Intention is Never Hurtful’

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Jon Stewart defended Dave Chappelle in an interview with TMZ Thursday, saying his “intention is never hurtful” in the wake of outrage over his latest special.

“I love that dude as a person,” Stewart said of Chappelle, calling him “good” and “decent.”

“He’s one of my favorite people on the planet,” Stewart said.

Chappelle has faced criticism — particularly from inside Netflix — for his commentary about the transgender community in his latest special, The Closer.

“If this spurs a conversation where people get more on the same page in terms of understanding, that’d be great,” Stewart said.

“But I know his intention is never hurtful,” he added. “He’s just not that kind of person.”