Celebs

Dave Chappelle Plans To Donate Ticket Sales From Buffalo Show To Families Of Mass Shooting Victims

Dave Chappelle has announced plans to give back to the grieving community of Buffalo, New York. During a performance in Buffalo, Dave committed some of his coins to families who lost a loved one in the mass shooting that claimed ten lives.

According toWGRZ,Dave took the stage at Shea’s Performing Arts Center on June 5. The property revealed to WGRZthat Dave made a special announcement after his comedy set. He shared plans with the audience to donate the money earned in ticket sales to victims’ families.

“He said, and I’m paraphrasing, I came here to Buffalo to recognize the victims and for these families,” Shea’s Director of Marketing & Communications, Kevin Sweeney said.

It’s unclear how much money Dave earned in ticket sales. However, the center holds 3,000+ seats. Plans for the gig presented themselves last minute. Tickets went on sale last Thursday after the announcement of the show the previous day. Within an hour, tickets were sold out, perDemocrat & Chronicle.

On May 14, a white supremacist named Payton Gendron shot 13 people, ultimately killing 10, at a grocery store in a predominantly Black neighborhood. Social media posts and a 180-page racist and anti-semantic manifesto detailed his plan to kill as many Black people as possible.

A grand jury indicted the 18-year-old white man on 25 counts on June 1. Payton is up against ten counts of first-degree murder, ten counts of second-degree murder as a hate crime, and three counts of attempted murder as a hate crime. Additionally, the shooter faces a domestic terror charge and weapons charge. He pled not guilty.

Dave also announced that members of the victims’ families were in attendance at the show per his invite. The comedian reportedly has performance experience at the venue. Per Democrat & Chronicle,Dave last performed at Shea’s in 2016.

At the time of publishing, Dave hadn’t publicly commented on his donation.

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Cassandra Santiago

Cassandra Santiago is a multimedia journalist, editor, and editorial strategist with over a decade of experience shaping conversations across arts, entertainment, culture, and global news. A graduate of the University of Iowa, she has built a cross-platform career spanning newspapers, magazines, radio, and digital media. She joined The Shade Room five years ago and currently serves as a Senior Editor, where she leads editorial direction, oversees exclusive coverage, and trains and edits a team of writers. Cassandra has played a key role in developing high-impact content and editorial strategies for an audience of more than 30 million, contributing to platform growth, engagement, and monetization across multiple channels. In addition to her leadership role, she remains a daily contributor, with her articles generating more than 41 million views since 2023. Beyond The Shade Room, Cassandra offers freelance social media strategy services, speaks on the influence and impact of Black media at public panels, and owns Did It For You, an event design company in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. She is Poynter Institute–certified and was named to the DMV’s 35 Under 35 list in 2024.

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