Critical reception Sticks & Stones received mixed reviews from critics. The review aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes reported that of critics gave the show a positive review based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads, "Edgy, but empty,
Sticks and Stones might not break any bones, but it won't elicit many laughs, either." It has drawn criticism from both
the left and right sides of the aisle, primarily for Chappelle making light of pedophilia and Michael Jackson's alleged victims; however, others have appreciated the special for its wide-ranging social commentary and Chappelle's unwillingness to
censor himself to appease others.
Vanity Fairs Laura Bradley, in a negative review, criticized the "stale work from a comedian who was once known for truly boundary-pushing comedy", adding that "These jokes [...] fall right in line with an increasingly defiant streak among comedians who rail against P.C. culture, and insist that the public has lost its ability to understand jokes in context." A more critical review came from
Kyle Smith of the
National Review, who wrote: "The set mostly misses the mark. And what is that mark? The truth. Chappelle remains one of the most vital, and certainly among the most daring, of standups [...] His latest hour is a setback." Garrett Martin of
Paste wrote that the special "is terrible not because audiences have changed, but because Chappelle himself is so thoroughly out of touch with today." Dani Di Placido of
Forbes called it "a special which feels like Chappelle's 'old man rant,' revelling in his perceived political incorrectness." Madeline Fry of
The Washington Examiner spoke of the certain failings of
Sticks & Stones, albeit praising Chappelle at picking upon subtle hypocrisies in our society, to which Fry explains: "[Chappelle] does a good job of pairing arguments from the pro-abortion side with some of their logical shortcomings."
Gerard Baker of
The Wall Street Journal spoke highly of the piece, stating that "Today's performers mostly fall over each other to demonstrate new establishment bona fides. They may call themselves
woke. They're barely breathing." He continued by praising the performance: "[Chappelle] is, in that sense, a true comic—one of extraordinary talent and sophistication."
D. Watkins of
Salon, in a positive review, felt that "dismissing Chappelle's work as simply or obstinately regressive is not unlike seeing the world through the same lens as" a Comedy Central network executive who, according to Chappelle, told him that he couldn't say a slur against gay people despite allowing him to routinely use a slur against black people. The forthrightness of Chappelle was appreciated by reviewers such as
Jeremy Jahns who commented specifically that "I couldn't help but appreciate the fact that, well, this guy will do it; he'll go there." Kahron Spearman of
The Daily Dot gave the special a positive rating, stating: "Never before has a comic combatively discussed the nuances of race in such a challenging way [...] Watching Chappelle in the present is like observing an all-timer fighter in his prime." Alexander Cameron of
The Spectator lambasted Chappelle's critics by stating: "The idea that a comedian can only make jokes about certain groups is not a criticism, but a personal belief. It's a projection of
relative morality, where those who are perceived as vulnerable must be protected at all costs from any ridicule, even the joking kind." Joshua B. Porter of
The Good Men Project, rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, stating that, "
Sticks and Stones might be Chappelle's tightest set, tempo wise. He jumps right in and moves along at a brisk and controlled pace. There isn't much fat and he ties up material quickly and effectively when he's ready to move along to other material." Sean L. McCarthy of
The New York Times wrote: "[...] Chappelle also has seen the opioid crisis, and he brings both guns and drugs back to race relations in America, where he not only offers funny solutions, but also finally finds one joke target for whom nobody would feel sorry." McCarthy concludes by stating that "[Chappelle] only makes jokes about people and things with which he identifies. It's a sincere moment, leading to a sincere story from his childhood."
Newsweek compared the early zero percent score on Rotten Tomatoes to a more positive 8.5 out of 10 from
IMDb users.
CNBC contrasted the negative critical reviews to the Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 99%.
Controversy Sticks & Stones garnered controversy, receiving backlash for Chappelle's jokes about abuse allegations against
Michael Jackson and
R. Kelly, and for his commentary on the LGBT community, including a
stereotypical impression of a Chinese person which he performed during a joke about transgender people. Of the Michael Jackson allegations, Chappelle reiterated his stance to avoid watching HBO's
Leaving Neverland (2019), which detailed Michael Jackson's alleged child abuse, as he remarked he doesn't believe the accusers due to
Macaulay Culkin's stance in stating he wasn't molested by Jackson nor witnessed the singer assaulting anyone. Jackson accuser
Wade Robson responded to the special by stating: "Whether [Chappelle] believes I was sexually abused as a child, or not, is of no concern to me. Yet [...] to shame victims and trivialize and condone child sexual abuse in general, especially if the abuser is a celebrity or someone in a place of power, is disgusting, irresponsible and inexcusable on the part of [Chappelle], and on the part of Netflix [...]" James Safechuck, another Jackson accuser, stated that: "I'm heartbroken for all those children who look to see how they will be received when they finally find the courage to speak out about their sexual abuse."
John Branca, executor of the
Michael Jackson Estate, responded to Robson's statement, saying "Wade's accusations emerged only after his book failed and we turned him down for a job with our Las Vegas show 9 years ago. He couldn't get a job until HBO and Dan Reed hired him. He'll say anything to avoid answering the question of why people like Dave Chappelle don't believe him or to address the factual holes and inconsistencies in this one sided documentary that did not interview a single person other than the two guys and their families, who are in it for the money."
Leaving Neverland director Dan Reed commented on Chappelle's comments, stating that they weren't "very funny or clever". He also disputed the implication that his documentary was associated with
cancel culture: "There's nothing in the film that says, 'Don't listen to Michael Jackson'. There's nothing in this film that says, 'Cancel MJ'. We're not part of cancel culture".
Surviving R. Kelly producer
Dream Hampton disputed Chappelle's claim that she approached him at a performance in
Detroit to ask him to appear in the documentary: "I didn't personally (or casually) invite Chappelle [...] The producer responsible for celeb outreach officially asked him, more than once. I haven't seen or talked to [Chappelle] in about 8 years [...] I wanted him to talk about the two pieces of cultural criticism he produced about R. Kelly for
the Chappelle show", Hampton tweeted. Chappelle declined to appear in the documentary as he didn't know Kelly personally. Hampton also accused Chappelle of misquoting her: "I [...] have never in my life said the words 'too hot for TV'". In response to Chappelle's material about the LGBT community, lesbian comedian Elsa Eli Waithe stated: "Sure, everything is fair game. But he uses his platform to make jokes about rape victims, trans folks, and the LGBTQ community. With all that's going on in the world, that's what he chooses to do?" Gay comedian
Guy Branum posted on Twitter that "Comedians should support each other and one way Dave Chapelle could support me more is by calling me a faggot less." Gay comedian Alex English stated that Chappelle is "providing visibility to a group of people whom are ignored constantly, especially in the LGBTQ community." In response to the special, Korean American comedian
Joel Kim Booster stated that "[...] I think Chappelle used to have really interesting and prescient things to say about power structures [...] I just don't think he's interested in dismantling that anymore. At least not from an interesting place, or at least not from beyond his own point of view." Comedian
Norm Macdonald said "If any of you wish to be a comedian, study
Sticks and Stones, a comedy special from The Peerless One. If you don't consider Chappelle funny, you are wrong. If you are a comedian who does not see that he is the best we have, quit." == Chart history ==