NEWS: Why Dave Chappelle Gave it Up

CELEB: Why Dave Chappelle Gave it Up

Dave Chappelle explained to Esquire magazine his motives behind walking away from $50 million and his hugely successful television show. The comic stressed he abandoned “The Chappelle Show”, one of his greatest accomplishments, for cultural, professional, and personal reasons.

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His was the best Inside The Actors Studio I've seen in a very long time.

If he wanted to continue the show, he should go to HBO and tell them "Give me a shitload of money and don't talk to me." I bet they'd do it.

I haven't seen much of his show, but what I did see I liked a lot.

Aw, c'mon Dave, walk it off man.

I've not seen nearly enough of this show because its not on that often over here. I have however, seen and loved the episode with Wayne Brady.

"Is Wayne Brady gonna have to choke a bitch!?"

I'd never seen where that came from until right how. Hilarrrious! Check it.

this seems like such old news, i mean ive heard or read him interviwed about this so many times youd have to be living under a rock not to have come across his explanation by now.

white people love wayne brady because he makes brian gumble look like malcolm x.

Translation: Too many lame-asses saying "i'm Rick James, bitch!!"

I can't blame the guy.

oh, how i love dave chappelle

"it's not HBO, it's just regular ass TV"

bingo and word.

How did it know it would have a "cultural" angle to it. I respected him and honored any reasons he had until he played the race card.

I'm white and no one's offered me 50 Million dollars for my own show. Oh Dave, how you've hurt me.

He played the race card a long time ago by saying that it's not offensive if it's a minority saying it. THe best part about the show was that I know so many people who loved it, and all of a sudden it was cool to joke about racism...and if anybody called you on it, you could just play it off as you quoting the show.

It seems that there is a lot of pressure on Comedy Central personalities these days to not rock the boat or something...

He's one of my favorite stand up comedians ever, but I can't watch his show for more than a couple minutes before wanting to change the channel. Most of the bits are just beating a single joke into the floor for five minutes, which is precisely why stupid, uncreative white college boys who liked American Pie 2 and Porky's 3 locked onto it and mindlessly chanted the catchphrases.

Soo I don't understand...were white people yelling "Dance Monkey...DANCE!!" Or were they just trying to coerse his show creatively into something he didn't want? Or was he just a wimp who couldn't take all that stress of being successful and left to go smoke some weed?

I seem to recall him saying that the differences he high-lights in his sketches are just cultural differences, and its just poking fun at our own cultures.

"Playing the race card" is one of the lamest, most over-used phrases of the last decade. Care to explain what you mean, without resorting to half assed cliches?

Maybe you're saying that Dave shouldn't say that the reason he hung it up because (in part) he was sick of being the black guy making all the content, while the white execs were the ones who pulled the strings and ran the networks? Maybe you think it's a bad reason, but I'll trust Dave--if that's why he says he's leaving, then that's why. Don't like it? Too bad. He doesn't owe you a goddamned thing. And this is coming from a guy who doesn't really like the show.

Oh, and the reason you haven't been offered 50$ million for a show: You're untalented and unfunny--just a theory, one that doesn't have to do with race.

[Edited on Apr 15, 2006 by PointBlank]

I agree with PointBlank

that race card crap has been pissing me off.

I hope you realize that I was complaining about white people saying "He's playing the race card" every time a black person brings up race.

That show wasn't really all that funny.

It was usually just the few minutes of brilliance in every episode that made it seem like genius. Plus when compared, in retrospect, to Mind of Mencia (shudder)...

Full disclosure: PointBlank is the inspiration for the Player Hater's Ball.