Dave Chappelle | |
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.jpg) Chappelle at premiere of "Dave Chappelle In Real Life" at Martha's Vineyard Film Festival 2025 | |
| Born | David Khari Webber Chappelle (1973-08-24)August 24, 1973 (age 52) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
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| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | William David Chappelle III Yvonne Seon |
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| Awards | Full list |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1990–present[1] |
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David Khari Webber Chappelle (/ʃəˈpɛl/shə-PEL; born August 24, 1973) is an Americanstand-up comedian andactor. He starred in and co-created the satirical comedy sketch seriesChappelle's Show (2003–2006) before quitting in the middle of production during the third season. After a hiatus, Chappelle returned to performing stand-up comedy across the United States.[2] By 2006, Chappelle was called the "comic genius of America" by theEsquire magazine[3] and, in 2013, "the best" by aBillboard writer.[4] In 2017,Rolling Stone ranked him No. 9 in their "50 Best Stand Up Comics of All Time".[5]
Chappelle has appeared in various films, includingRobin Hood: Men in Tights (1993),The Nutty Professor (1996),Con Air (1997),You've Got Mail (1998),Blue Streak (1999),Undercover Brother (2002),Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2005),Chi-Raq (2015), andA Star Is Born (2018). His first lead role was in the 1998 comedy filmHalf Baked, which he co-wrote. Chappelle also starred in theABC comedy seriesBuddies (1996). In 2016, he signed a $20-million-per-release comedy-special deal withNetflix and released six stand-up specials under the deal.[6]
As a stand-up comedian, he has released his first comedy specialKillin' Them Softly (2000) forHBO, followed byFor What It's Worth forShowtime. He has since released eight standup specials forNetflix. He has won sixGrammy Awards for Best Comedy Album forThe Age of Spin (2018),Equanimity & The Bird Revelation (2019),Sticks & Stones (2019),The Closer (2021),What's in a Name? (2022), andThe Dreamer (2023).[7][8]
He has received numerous accolades, including sixEmmy Awards, sixGrammy Awards, and theMark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2019, which is presented by theJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as America's highest comedy honor.[9] Chappelle has received twoPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for hostingSaturday Night Live in 2016 and 2020.[10]
David Khari Webber Chappelle was born on August 24, 1973, inWashington, D.C.[11] His father,William David Chappelle III, was a professor of vocal performance and the dean of students atAntioch College inYellow Springs, Ohio.[12] His mother,Yvonne Seon (née Reed, formerly Chappelle),[13] worked forCongolese Prime MinisterPatrice Lumumba,[14] is aUnitarian Universalist minister,[15] and worked as a professor and university administrator at several institutions includingWright State University andPrince George's Community College.[16] Chappelle has a stepmother and a stepbrother.[3]
Chappelle grew up inSilver Spring, Maryland, and attendedWoodlin Elementary School.[12] His parents were politically active, and family house visitors includedPete Seeger andJohnny Hartman.[3] Hartman predicted Chappelle would be a comedian and, around this time, Chappelle's comic inspiration came fromEddie Murphy andRichard Pryor. After his parents separated, Chappelle stayed in Washington with his mother while spending summers with his father inOhio. In high school he worked as an usher inFord's Theatre.[17] He attended DC'sEastern High School for a short time before transferring toDuke Ellington School of the Arts, where he studiedtheater arts, graduating in 1991.[18][12]
Chappelle was featured in a montage of random people telling jokes in the first episode ofABC'sAmerica's Funniest People, airing on September 13, 1990. Following his high school graduation, Chappelle moved toNew York City to pursue a career as a comedian. He performed atHarlem'sApollo Theater in front of the "Amateur Night" audience, but he wasbooed off stage. Chappelle described the experience as the moment that gave him the courage to continue his show business aspirations.[12] He quickly made a name for himself on the New York comedy circuit, even performing in the city's parks. In addition to weekend stand-up gigs, he honed his craft at Monday night "open mic" performances at places such as theBoston Comedy Club on West 3rd Street, as late as the summer 1994.[19] In 1992, he won critical and popular acclaim for his television appearance inRussell Simmons'Def Comedy Jam onHBO. It was his appearance on this show that allowed his popularity to truly begin rising, eventually allowing him to become a regular guest on late-night television shows such asPolitically Incorrect,Late Show with David Letterman,The Howard Stern Show, andLate Night with Conan O'Brien.Whoopi Goldberg nicknamed him "The Kid".[3] At 19, he made his film debut as "Ahchoo" inMel Brooks'Robin Hood: Men in Tights. He also appeared onStar Search three times but lost to competing comedianLester Barrie; Chappelle later joked about becoming more successful than Barrie. The same year, Chappelle was offered the role of Benjamin Buford "Bubba" Blue inForrest Gump. Concerned the character was demeaning and the movie would bomb, he turned down the part.[20][21] He parodied the film in the 1997 shortBowl of Pork, where a dim-witted black man is responsible for theRodney King beating, theLA riots andO. J. Simpson's being accused of murder.[22] Chappelle played another supporting role in an earlyDoug Liman film,Getting In, in 1994.[23] At age 19, he was the opening act for R&B soul singerAretha Franklin.[24]
Chappelle attracted the attention of television network executives and developed numerouspilots but none were picked up for development into a series.[12][25] In 1995, he made a guest appearance on an episode of ABC's popularsitcomHome Improvement. The storyline had Chappelle and real-life friend and comedianJim Breuer askTim Taylor for advice on their girlfriends.[26] The characters' single outing in the episode proved so popular that ABC decided to give them their ownspin-off sitcom titledBuddies. However, after taping a pilot episode, Breuer was fired and replaced with actorChristopher Gartin.Buddies premiered in March 1996 to disappointingratings and the show was canceled after only five episodes out of 13 that had been produced.
After the failure ofBuddies, Chappelle starred in another pilot. According to Chappelle, the network was uncomfortable with theAfrican-American cast and wantedwhite actors added.[27] Chappelle resisted and subsequently accused the network of racism. Shortly afterward Chappelle's father died and, after returning to Ohio, he considered leaving the entertainment business.[12][25]
He later appeared as a stand-up insult comic who targets patrons of a nightclub in the 1996 comedyThe Nutty Professor starringEddie Murphy, one of his major comedic influences.[28] He had a minor role in 1997'sCon Air.[29] At the beginning of 1998, he did a stand-up performance forHBOComedy Half-Hour. That same year, he appeared in "Pilots and Pens Lost", an episode ofThe Larry Sanders Show's sixth season, in which he and the executives of the show's unnamedtelevision network satirize the treatment that scriptwriters and show creators were subjected to, as well as the executives' knee-jerk tendencies towardracial stereotypes.[30]
He andNeal Brennan co-wrote the 1998 cultstoner filmHalf Baked, Chappelle's first starring role, about a group ofmarijuana-smoking friends trying to get their other friend out of jail. It made money at the box office and remains a classic "stoner" film, a genre that includes theCheech & Chong films as well as more recent fare likeJudd Apatow'sPineapple Express.[31][32] In December 1998, Chappelle appeared asTom Hanks' character's friend and confidant inYou've Got Mail.[33] In 1999, he appeared in theMartin Lawrence filmBlue Streak.[34]
In 2000, Chappelle recorded his first hour-longHBO special,Dave Chappelle: Killin' Them Softly, inWashington, D.C. He also starred alongsideNorm Macdonald in the 2000 comedy filmScrewed.[35] He followed this with an appearance as "Conspiracy Brother" in the 2002 racial satireUndercover Brother.[36] During the early 2000s, Chappelle was a member of theSpitkicker artist collective, along with manyhip-hop artists likeDe La Soul andTalib Kweli.[37]
In 2003, Chappelle debuted his own weeklysketch comedy show onComedy Central calledChappelle's Show. The show parodied many aspects of American culture, includingracial stereotypes, politics andpop culture. Along with comedy sketches, the show also featured musical performances by mostlyhip-hop andsoul artists. He promoted the work of other black comedians as well, most notablyPaul Mooney andCharlie Murphy.[38]
Due to the show's popularity, Comedy Central's new parent companyViacom[3] offered Chappelle a $55 million contract (giving Chappelle a share of DVD sales) to continue production ofChappelle's Show for two more years while allowing him to do side projects. Chappelle has said that sketches are not his favorite form of comedy,[3] and that the show's format was similar toshort films.
In June 2004, based on the popularity of the "Rick James" sketch, it was announced that Chappelle was in talks to portray James in abiopic fromParamount Pictures, also owned by Viacom.[39] James' estate disagreed with the proposed comical tone of the film and put a halt to the talks.[40]
That same month, Chappelle recorded his second comedy special, this time airing onShowtime,Dave Chappelle: For What It's Worth, atSan Francisco'sFillmore Auditorium, whereLenny Bruce,George Carlin,Richard Pryor, andRobin Williams had performed.
Season 3 was scheduled to begin airing on May 31, 2005, but earlier in May, Chappelle surprised fans and the entertainment industry when he abruptly left during production and took a trip toSouth Africa.[3] Chappelle said that he was unhappy with the direction the show had taken, and expressed in an interview withTime magazine his need for reflection in the face of tremendous stress.[41] Chappelle said onInside the Actors Studio that the death of his father seven years prior influenced his decision to go to South Africa. By throwing himself into his work, he had not taken a chance to mourn his father's death. He also said the rumors that he was in drug or psychiatric treatment only persuaded him to stay in South Africa.[12]
In an interview withOprah Winfrey that aired on February 3, 2006, Chappelle stated that burnout, losing his creative control, and a work environment that was uncomfortable, were some of the reasons he left the show.[42] He did not rule out returning toChappelle's Show to "finish what we started", but promised that he would not return without changes to the production.[43] Chappelle expressed disdain at the possibility of his material from the unfinished third season being aired, saying that to do so would be "a bully move", and that he would not return to the show if Comedy Central were to air the unfinished material.[44] On July 9, 2006, Comedy Central aired the first episode ofChappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes. After the DVD release, Chappelle was interviewed byAnderson Cooper on CNN and reiterated he would not return toChappelle's Show.[45] An uncensored DVD release of the episodes was made available on July 25.[46]
Chappelle's abrupt departure from the show continues to be a focus of interviews and profiles of him and of his own comedy.[47][48][49] His decision to quit the show meant walking away from a $50 million contract with Comedy Central[38] and forming a rift with longtime collaboratorNeal Brennan.[3] The show still plays in syndication on several television networks, despite the relatively small number of episodes compared to most American syndicated television programs.[50] InBird Revelation, Chappelle draws an analogy between his departure and the bookPimp, the memoir ofIceberg Slim.[51]
Chappelle was the star and aproducer of theMichel Gondry-directed documentaryDave Chappelle's Block Party, which chronicles his hosting a free concert in theClinton Hill neighborhood ofBrooklyn on September 18, 2004.[3] Several musical artists, includingKanye West,The Roots,Erykah Badu,Mos Def,Dead Prez andJill Scott, are featured in the movie both performing in the concert and in conversation off-stage; Chappelle brought Yellow Springs residents to Brooklyn at his own expense.[3] Another highlight of the event was the temporary reunion of 1990ship-hop groupThe Fugees.[52]
Chappelle toured several cities in February and March 2006 to promote the film under the name "Block Party All-Stars Featuring Dave Chappelle".Universal Pictures' genre division,Rogue Pictures, released the film in the U.S. on March 3, 2006. It was a success, grossing a total of $11.7 million on a $3 million budget.[53]
Chappelle has been known to make impromptu and unannounced appearances at comedy venues,[54] and continued to do so following his post–Chappelle's Show return to stand-up comedy.[55] In June 2005, Chappelle performed impromptu stand-up shows in Los Angeles,[15][56][57] then went on a tour that began inNewport, Kentucky, not far from his Ohio home.[58] On May 11, 2006, he made a prearranged, but quietly marketed, surprise appearance atTowson University's annual Tigerfest celebration. He made another appearance on HBO'sDef Poetry, where he performed two poems, titled "FuckAshton Kutcher" and "How I Got the Lead onJeopardy!".[59]
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In April 2007, Chappelle set a stand-up endurance record at theLaugh Factory Sunset Strip comedy club, beating comedianDane Cook's record of three hours and 50 minutes. In December of the same year, Chappelle broke his own record with a time of six hours and 12 minutes. Cook reclaimed the record in January 2008, with a time of seven hours.[60] On November 19, 2009, Chappelle performed at the Laugh Factory again, where it was speculated that he would attempt to take back the record. However, according to the club owner, he was disqualified after he left the stage five hours into his routine.[61] Chappelle again appeared onInside the Actors Studio and, in celebration of the show's 200th episode, he interviewed the show's usual host,James Lipton. The episode aired on November 11, 2008. He appeared again onInside the Actors Studio in 2013, for its 250th episode.[citation needed] In February 2009, Chappelle did a four-hour set atComic Strip Live in New York.[62] In August 2011, Chappelle appeared at Comedy Jam in San Francisco.[63]
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In August 2013, Chappelle returned to full-time touring stand-up,[64] as a headliner,[65] when he was featured during the Oddball Comedy & Curiosity festival. Sponsored byFunny or Die, Chappelle co-headlined with comedy actFlight of the Conchords.[66] During a stop inHartford, Chappelle walked off the stage due to heckling from the crowd that lasted throughout his entire performance. The heckling was so raucous that it drowned out Chappelle's voice over the P.A. system and included chants of "White Power", a line used in aChappelle's Show episode, that was viewed as wildly uncalled-for and out-of-context by other audience members who later wrote about the event.[67][68] A few days later, Chappelle stopped in Chicago for a performance. The comedy website ComedyHype.com acquired and released audio of him on stage responding to the heckling. Chappelle referenced the Hartford incident, stating that "young, white, alcoholic[s]" should be blamed for the prior incident, that he hoped North Korea would bomb Hartford, that in the future he would not stop in Hartford for gas, and finally summarizing his feelings on the situation by saying, "Fuck Hartford!"[69] However, in August 2014 Chappelle returned to Hartford for a surprise appearance at the 2014 Oddball Festival and received standing ovations during his set.[70]
In June 2014, Chappelle made his first major New York City appearance in eleven years, performing ten nights atRadio City Music Hall.[38] Chappelle promoted the dates by appearing onThe Today Show,The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon andLate Show with David Letterman. In 2015, Chappelle appeared in theSpike Lee filmChi-Raq, his first film role in 13 years.[71]
On November 12, 2016, Chappelle made his hosting debut onSaturday Night Live the weekend afterDonald Trump won the2016 presidential election. The show also featuredA Tribe Called Quest as the musical guest.[72] In his opening monologue, Chappelle tackled Trump and the election head on. He ended his monologue by stating, "I'm wishing Donald Trump luck, and I'm going to give him a chance, and we, the historically disenfranchised, demand that he give us one too."[73] His performance onSNL received widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike. At the69th Primetime Emmy Awards, he received anEmmy Award forOutstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his appearance.[10] He donated the Emmy to his former high school while filming an episode ofJerry Seinfeld'sNetflix series,Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (Season 10, Episode 2: "Nobody Says, 'I Wish I Had A Camera'").[74]
On November 21, 2016,Netflix announced that they would be releasing three new stand-up comedy specials from Chappelle in 2017, with Chappelle being paid $20 million per special.[75][76][77] The first two specials were released on Netflix on March 21, 2017, and hail directly from Chappelle's personal comedy vault. "Deep in the Heart of Texas" was filmed atAustin City Limits Live in April 2015,[78] and "The Age of Spin" was filmed at theHollywood Palladium in March 2016.[79] The specials marked the comedian's first concert specials released in 12 years, and proved to be an immediate success as Netflix announced a month later that they were the most viewed comedy specials in Netflix's history.[80][81]
The third special,Equanimity, was filmed in September 2017 at the Warner Theater in Washington, D.C., and then on November 20, 2017, Chappelle filmed a fourth special,The Bird Revelation, atThe Comedy Store in Los Angeles.[82] On December 22, 2017, Netflix announced the expansion of the deal to includeThe Bird Revelation, which was released withEquanimity on December 31.[82]
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In January 2018 at the60th Annual Grammy Awards, Chappelle received aGrammy Award forBest Comedy Album for his first two 2017 specialsThe Age of Spin & Deep in the Heart of Texas.[83] In September 2018, Chappelle'sEquanimity special received anEmmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded).[84] In October 2018, Chappelle returned to the big screen as "Noodles", Jackson Maine's best friend and retired musician inBradley Cooper's directorial debut, a remake ofA Star Is Born. The film was a massive critical and commercial success. He was nominated along with the cast for theScreen Actors Guild Award forBest Cast in a Motion Picture.[85] In 2018, Chappelle andJon Stewart joined forces for a duo comedy tour in theUnited States, and across theUnited Kingdom.[86] He has also collaborated withAziz Ansari for three stand-up shows inAustin, Texas, at theParamount Theater.
In February 2019, Chappelle was nominated for and won theGrammy Award forBest Comedy Album forEquanimity andBird Revelation.[87]
In 2019, Chappelle was chosen to receive the annualMark Twain Prize for American Humor presented byJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. President of the Kennedy Center Deborah Rutter stated, "Dave is the embodiment ofMark Twain's observation that 'against the assault of humor, nothing can stand'... and for three decades, Dave has challenged us to see hot-button issues from his entirely original yet relatable experience." The set of people honoring Chappelle includedJon Stewart,Bradley Cooper,Morgan Freeman,Lorne Michaels,Tiffany Haddish,Aziz Ansari,Sarah Silverman,Neal Brennan,Q-Tip,Mos Def,John Legend,Frederic Yonnet,Erykah Badu,Common,SNL cast membersKenan Thompson,Michael Che andColin Jost, as well asEddie Murphy. The Prize was awarded at the Kennedy Center gala on October 27, 2019. The ceremony was broadcast onPBS January 7, 2020.[88][89] TheMayor of the District of Columbia,Muriel Bowser, declared the day of the award ceremony "Dave Chappelle Day" in Washington, D.C.[90][91]
On August 26, 2019, Chappelle's fifth Netflix special,Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones, was released.[92] The special garnered controversy,[93][94] and backlash for jokes about abuse allegations against singersMichael Jackson andR. Kelly,[95][96][97] as well as for jokes about theLGBT community andcancel culture.[98][99][100] The following year,Sticks & Stones won theGrammy Award for Best Comedy Album.[8]
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On June 12, 2020, Netflix released8:46, a 27-minute and 20-second video of newly recorded stand-up by Chappelle on the YouTube channel "Netflix Is a Joke". The private event was held outdoors on June 6, 2020, inYellow Springs, Ohio,[101] where audience members observed social distancing rules and wore masks to prevent the spread ofCOVID-19. The title was chosen in reference to the8 minutes and 46 seconds that police officerDerek Chauvin knelt on the neck ofGeorge Floyd, leading to his death. Chappelle touches on Floyd's murder and subsequentprotests and takes aim atDon Lemon,Laura Ingraham andCandace Owens.[102][103]
Expanding on the concept of the socially distanced comedy presentation, beginning with a pair of performances in late June 2020 and officially kicking off with a Fourth of July celebration, "Chappelle and friends" hosted what became known as "Chappelle Summer Camp", which brought live performances to a masked, socially distanced audience at Wirrig Pavilion, in Yellow Springs, Ohio. These shows featured regular performances from comediansMichelle Wolf,Mohammed Amer and Donnell Rawlings, as well as Chappelle's tour DJ, DJ Trauma and frequent special guests includingJon Stewart,Chris Rock,Louis C.K.,Sarah Silverman,David Letterman,Bill Burr,Michael Che,Brian Regan,Chris Tucker,Kevin Hart,Ali Wong,Trevor Noah,Tiffany Haddish, with musical guestsJohn Mayer,Common, and many others. After several shows in July, some issues arose from neighbors' complaints of noise and disturbances, local zoning officials granted a special variance allowing the performances to continue through October 4, 2020.[104] The Chappelle Summer Camp series of shows ended suddenly September 25, 2020, when Elaine Chappelle announced in a closed Facebook fan group that there had been a possible COVID-19 exposure in their inner circle, and all further performances were canceled.[105]
It was announced that Chappelle would return to hostSaturday Night Live the weekend of the2020 United States presidential election, his second time giving a post-presidential election monologue. Due to the effect of theCOVID-19 pandemic on the vote count, the results were delayed and announced earlier that Saturday. In response to unfounded allegations thatJoe Biden's presidency had been stolen fromDonald Trump, Chappelle offered jokes ranging from Trump's handling of the pandemic to his resulting legacy, and the political future of the United States, in his 16-minute opening monologue, "Everyone knows how that feels. But here's the difference between me and you: You guys hate each other for that, and I don't hate anybody. I just hate that feeling. That's what I fight through. That's what I suggest you fight through. You've got a find a way to live your life. You've got to find a way to forgive each other. You've got to find a way to find joy in your existence in spite of that feeling".[106] Critics and audiences praised the monologue describing it as "scathing", "illuminating" and "powerful".[107][108]
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In December 2020, Chappelle's company,Iron Table Holdings purchased a fire station near hisYellow Springs, Ohio, home, with plans to convert it into a comedy club.[109] He also retrofitted a mechanic's garage in the same village into a clubhouse, and dubbed it "The Shack", for podcasting.[110] On October 5, 2021, Chappelle starred in his sixth Netflix specialThe Closer. InThe Closer, Chappelle made jokes about gay and transgender people, particularlytransgender women, that some consideredtransphobic.[111][112][113] Simultaneously, Chappelle argued that he was not anti-transgender, bringing up his opposition toNorth Carolina's anti-transgender bathroom laws and his friendship with the lateDaphne Dorman.[114] The special was met with some backlash, including from students of Chappelle's alma materDuke Ellington School.[115][111] On October 20, Netflix employeesorganized a walkout demonstrating their support of the transgender community and demanding thatThe Closer be taken off of Netflix.[116][117] CEO Ted Sarandos acknowledged that "storytelling has real impact in the real world" but refused to take down the special, stating that he "does not believe it falls into hate speech".[118] In November 2021,Saturday Night Live lampooned the controversy during itsWeekend Update segment, stating, "A Washington, D.C. art school is postponing renaming its theater, after alumni Dave Chappelle's Netflix controversy. Well, of course, because God forbid, you should name a building after someone problematic in Washington, D.C."[119] In summer of 2022, Chappelle announced that he would not give his name to theDuke Ellington School theater,[120] instead insisting it should be named the Theater for Artistic Freedom and Expression.[121][122][123]
Dave Chappelle: Live in Real Life, a documentary covering Chappelle's concerts in Yellow Springs during the COVID-19 pandemic, premiered atTribeca Film Festival in June 2021,[124] followed by a series of roadshow events in the United States andCanada[125] and alimited theatrical release on November 19, 2021.[126]
In the early hours of May 4, 2022, Chappelle was performing at theHollywood Bowl inLos Angeles, California, as part of theNetflix Is a Joke Festival, where he was tackled onstage by a member of the audience, who was swiftly subdued by security. The attacker was later found to have been armed with a replica handgun containing a knife blade.[127] Chappelle's 4-night stint at the Hollywood Bowl ties him withMonty Python for the most headlined shows by a comedian at the venue.[128]
On November 12, 2022, Chappelle hostedSaturday Night Live for the third time.[129][130] On February 5, 2023, he received his fourthGrammy Award for Best Comedy Album forThe Closer.[131] On December 31, 2023,Netflix released Chappelle's latest special,The Dreamer, which debuted at No. 5 on the chart with 2.2 million views.[132] On January 18, 2025, Chappelle hostedSaturday Night Live in its first show of 2025, marking Chappelle's fourth time hosting.[133] His 17-minute monologue included commentary on recent events, including theJanuary 2025 Southern California wildfires,Jimmy Carter's death, andDonald Trump's reelection to the United States presidency.[133]
In September 2025, Chappelle participated in theRiyadh Comedy Festival. Joey Shea, Saudi Arabia researcher atHuman Rights Watch, said in a statement that the Saudi government is using the comedy festival to whitewash its human rights abuses.[134][135]
In his interview withInside the Actors Studio hostJames Lipton, he said that his biggest influences in comedy areRichard Pryor,Eddie Murphy,Mort Sahl,Chris Rock,Paul Mooney, andMel Blanc.[12]
When asked about his earliest influence in comedy, Chappelle said:
You know who was a big influence on me that is really weird isBugs Bunny. That's just weird. If you watch a lot of the stuff I do, you can almost see the influence in it, because these animators would animate these performances that were off the hook, and the guy that, the guy that did the voices wasMel Blanc. This guy was like some kind of savant or genius or something. But they had some kind of real big comedic influence on me, like, I liked those cartoons, I think that was my first real big comedy influence, was a rabbit.[136]
When asked about the biggest influence on him in comedy, Chappelle spoke of Richard Pryor:
What a precedent he set. Not just as a comic, but as a dude. The fact that someone was able to open themselves wide-open like that. It's so hard to talk in front of people or to open yourself up to your closest friends. But to open yourself up for everybody: I freebase, I beat my women, I shot my car. And nobody's mad at Richard for that. They understand. Somehow they just understand. And when I was going through this thing this year, that is the example I would think to myself that gave me the courage to just go back on the stage.[137]
Chappelle has received many awards and nominations for his work in stand-up and television including three consecutiveGrammy Awards forBest Comedy Album.[138] He has also received fivePrimetime Emmy Awards and oneScreen Actors Guild Award nomination along with the ensemble ofA Star Is Born.[139][140]
In 2017, Columbia, South Carolina, Mayor Steven Benjamin declared February 3 "Dave Chappelle Day" when Chappelle spoke at the Chappelle Auditorium at Allen University, a building named after his great-grandfather, Bishop William David Chappelle, who worked at the university.[141]
In 2019, Chappelle was awarded theMark Twain Prize for American Humor at theJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.[142] Those to honor Chappelle at the event includedJon Stewart,Bradley Cooper,Aziz Ansari,Sarah Silverman,Chris Tucker,Frederic Yonnet andLorne Michaels.[143] The award ceremony was turned into a television special and released onNetflix and received aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) nomination.[144]
His work, as well as that ofMargaret Cho, was also the subject of a book by Canadiandramaturg Elizabeth Ludwig,American Stand-Up and Sketch Comedy, that was published at the end of 2010.[145]
In 2004, he donated his time toSeeds of Peace International Camp, a camp located inOtisfield, Maine, which brings together young leaders from communities in conflict.[146]
Chappelle supports his high school,Duke Ellington School of the Arts. He has financially contributed to the school over the years, visited and gave acommencement speech.[147] During his acceptance speech at the2017 Emmy Awards, Chappelle gave ashout-out toD.C. Public Schools.[147] In November 2021, the school was set to rename their auditorium in Chappelle's honor. Following controversy in response to jokes made inThe Closer, the renaming ceremony was delayed until April 2022.[148][149] Instead, Chappelle made an unannounced stop at the school to host aschool assembly and Q&A session, asking only students who had an issue with Chappelle to come forward to ask questions.[150] Following the assembly, the school decided to go forward with renaming the auditorium, respecting the wishes of school co-founderPeggy Cooper Cafritz.[150]
Chappelle endorsedAndrew Yang in the2020 United States presidential election.[151]
In December 2021, Chappelle told theYellow Springs, Ohio, village council that he would cancel his planned business investments, including his restaurant and comedy club, if it approved a zoning change to allow a multifamily affordable housing project. The affordable housing had been negotiated between the village and the developer as a condition of approval for its plan to build 143 single-unit homes. Chapelle stated that he is not against affordable housing; he is against "the poorly vetted, cookie-cutter, sprawl-style development deal which has little regard for the community, culture and infrastructure of the village".[152] On February 7, 2022, he again spoke up against the zoning change at the council meeting held to vote on the approval, calling the council "clowns" and reminding them that his business was worth $65 million a year. The council failed to approve the change, deadlocking at 2–2, with one recusal.[153][154]
During an October 19, 2023 show in Boston, Chappelle described Israel's actions during theGaza war as war crimes.[155] Chappelle also condemned the United States for aidingIsrael andHamas for theOctober 7 attacks.[155] The audience reaction to Chappelle's statements was mixed; some audience members cheered, some heckled, and others walked out.[155] In May 2024, in an appearance inAbu Dhabi, Chappelle said that "genocide is striking the Gaza Strip amid the Israel-Hamas war", while urging Americans to fight antisemitism so Jews do not feel like they need to be protected by Israel.[156] During his January 19, 2025,Saturday Night Live monologue, he exhorted PresidentDonald Trump: "Whether they like you or not, they're all counting on you. Please do better next time. Do not forget your humanity and please have empathy for displaced people, whether they're in thePalisades orPalestine".[157]
Chapelle headlined a campaign event for actorHill Harper, who was running against CongresswomanElissa Slotkin in the Democratic primary ahead ofMichigan's 2024 U.S. Senate election, atSaint Andrews Hall inDetroit.[158][159]
His great-grandfather BishopWilliam D. Chappelle, born into slavery in 1857, served as a president ofAllen University and led a delegation of African Americans who met PresidentWoodrow Wilson at theWhite House.[160][161] His grand-uncleW. D. Chappelle Jr. was a physician and surgeon who opened the People's Infirmary around 1915, a small hospital and surgery practice inColumbia, South Carolina, when segregation prevented many African Americans from having access to healthcare.[162]
Chappelle married Elaine Mendoza Erfe in 2001.[3] The couple have two sons[163][164][165] and one daughter. They live on a 65-acre (26-hectare) farm[12][25] nearYellow Springs, Ohio.[58] Chappelle also owned several houses inXenia, Ohio. He told Yellow Springs' residents in September 2006, "Turns out you don't need $50 million to live around these parts, just a nice smile and a kind way about you. You guys are the best neighbors ever. That's why I came back and that's why I'm staying."[166]
Chappelle converted toIslam when he was 17. He toldTime magazine in May 2005, "I don't normally talk about my religion publicly because I don't want people to associate me and my flaws with this beautiful thing. And I believe it is beautiful if you learn it the right way."[41] Chappelle appears in a video explaining the religious history of theWell of Zamzam in Mecca.[167] He has also explained that his faith helped him use his career to benefit people.[168]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Robin Hood: Men in Tights | Ah-Choo | |
| Undercover Blues | Ozzie | ||
| 1994 | Getting In | Ron | |
| 1996 | The Nutty Professor | Reggie Warrington | |
| Joe's Apartment | Cockroach (voice) | ||
| 1997 | Con Air | Joe "Pinball" Parker | |
| The Real Blonde | Zee | ||
| Damn Whitey | Dave | Short | |
| Bowl of Pork | Black Forrest Gump | Short | |
| 1998 | Half Baked | Thurgood Jenkins/Sir Smoke-a-Lot | |
| Woo | Lenny | ||
| You've Got Mail | Kevin Jackson | ||
| 1999 | 200 Cigarettes | Disco Cabbie | |
| Blue Streak | Tulley | ||
| 2000 | Screwed | Rusty P. Hayes | |
| 2002 | Undercover Brother | Conspiracy Brother | |
| 2015 | Chi-Raq | Morris | |
| 2018 | A Star Is Born | George 'Noodles' Stone |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–1995 | Def Comedy Jam | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Home Improvement | Dave | Episode: "Talk to Me" |
| 1996 | Buddies | Dave Carlisle | 14 episodes, lead role |
| 1997 | Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Dave | Voice, episode: "Electric Bike" |
| Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Spider | Episode: "Mother Goose" (voice) | |
| 1998 | The Larry Sanders Show | Himself | Episode: "Pilots and Pens Lost" |
| HBO Comedy Half-Hour | Himself | Episode: "Dave Chappelle" | |
| 2002–2007 | Crank Yankers | Francis, Shavin (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Wanda at Large | Vincent | Episode: "The Favor" |
| 2003–2006 | Chappelle's Show | Himself (host) | 28 episodes; also co-creator, writer, and executive producer |
| 2016–2025 | Saturday Night Live | Himself (host) | 4 episodes |
| 2025 | SNL50: Anniversary Special | Himself | Television special |
| Year | Song | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | "Oooh." | De La Soul featuringRedman | Doorman |
| Year | Title | Platform | Type | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Killin' Them Softly | HBO | Stand-up comedy | [169] |
| 2004 | For What It's Worth | Showtime | [170] | |
| 2017 | The Age of Spin | Netflix | [171] | |
| Deep in the Heart of Texas | ||||
| Equanimity | [172] | |||
| The Bird Revelation | ||||
| 2019 | Sticks & Stones | [173] | ||
| 2020 | 8:46 | YouTube | Performance speech | [174] |
| Unforgiven | IGTV | [45] | ||
| 2021 | Redemption Song | [175] | ||
| The Closer | Netflix | Stand-up comedy | [176] | |
| 2022 | What's in a Name? | Acceptance speech | [177] | |
| 2023 | The Dreamer | Stand-up comedy | [178] |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Open Mic |
| 2003 | Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet |
| 2004 | Sex and the City: A Farewell |
| 2006 | Dave Chappelle's Block Party |
| 2009 | Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy |
| 2013 | Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic |
| 2017 | Def Comedy Jam 25 |
| 2018 | Quincy |
| 2019 | Devil's Pie |
| 2021 | The One and Only Dick Gregory |
| Dave Chappelle: Live in Real Life |
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| 8: 46 (with Amir Sulaiman) |
|
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [179] | US R&B /HH [180] | US Rap [181] | AUS [182] | CAN [183] | FRA [184] | WW [185] | |||
| "Parasail" (Travis Scott featuringYung Lean and Dave Chappelle) | 2023 | 54 | 23 | 22 | 91 | 46 | 92 | 55 | Utopia |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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