Dave Chappelle Previews His New Year’s Eve Special with Some Help from Morgan Freeman

In “The Dreamer,” Chappelle discusses a May 2022 incident where he was attacked by a man while on stage in Los Angeles and the “slap” at the Oscars that same year, according to Netflix.

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Dave Chappelle performing at Madison Square Garden in New York in 2023. Mandatory Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/File

(CNN) — Netflix on Sunday released a preview for Dave Chappelle’s upcoming Netflix comedy special, “The Dreamer.”

The preview for the show, releasing on New Year’s Eve, is narrated by Morgan Freeman.

“What do you dream about? Not the dreams you have in your sleep, the ones you hold in your heart,” Freeman is heard saying. “What happens to a dream deferred? Lucky for Dave, he doesn’t know.”

Footage of Chappelle and Freeman watching the special, which was filmed in Washington DC at the Lincoln Theatre, is briefly featured in the spot, along with clips of the comedian performing on stage.

“The Dreamer” follows the comedian’s 2021 Netflix special “The Closer,” which sparked criticism over jokes viewed as transphobic by some LGTBQ+ advocates and artists, and spurred dozens of Netflix employees to stage a walk out over the controversy.

At the time, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos acknowledged that he “screwed up” by not communicating better with his employees who were upset that the streamer stood by Chappelle’s special, telling Variety in October 2021 that he “should have led with a lot more humanity.”

In “The Dreamer,” Chappelle discusses a May 2022 incident where he was attacked by a man while on stage in Los Angeles and the “slap” at the Oscars that same year, according to Netflix.