Speed was clearly stoked to meet “my Ohio brother.”
ByTrace William Cowen
July 20, 2026
IShowSpeed was clearly thrilled to have the chance to meet Dave Chappelle amid 2026 FIFA World Cup festivities this weekend, lovingly referring to the Emmy and Grammy-winning comedian as “my Ohio brother.”
As seen in a clip from Sunday’s final (July 19), Speed, who also performed that day, was enjoying some food in his suite when he spotted Chappelle making his way through the same space.
“My Ohio brother, my Ohio brother!” he called out. “Nice to meet you, Dave Chappelle.”
The comedian—who has family ties to Ohio, Speed’s home state, and lives there—returned the favor by offering “much love” to the streamer.
“I love, love, love what you’re doing, brother,” he said. “Love. Very proud.”
After a friendly dap-up, Chappelle reiterated his praise by connecting it to a shared sense of pride among Ohioans at large.
“Man, we all proud of you, bro,” he added.
Dave was far from the only superstar Speed had the opportunity to share some time with this weekend. He also met Tom Cruise, whose transformational turn in Digger hits theaters this October, and BTS, just to name a couple. Both Cruise and BTS played key roles in Sunday’s final, with the latter among those taking the stage as part of a Chris Martin-curated halftime show.
The gravity of the moment wasn’t lost on Speed, who carved out time on Sunday to offer fans some encouragement in pursuing their own dreams.
“Four years ago, I was in my mom’s house, in my mom’s room, streaming barking. … A kid from Ohio, Portugal just doing anything and I just performed at the World Cup final,” he said, as seen below. “So you know what that means, bro? You can do whatever you want, chat. Just believe, just believe. Just believe, chat. Seriously.”
