Dave Chappelle on why Chappelle's Show is back on Netflix: "I got my name back"
TV Features Chappelle
If you missed the last time that Chappelle’s Show was available to stream on Netflix, that’s totally fine. You were probably busy for those few weeks in November before Dave Chappelle ultimately had the show removed. But it appears that the comedian has patched things up with ViacomCBS long enough to bring the Comedy Central staple back to the streaming masses. On Friday, he posted a clip that included an explanation of the resolution.
The clip is another slice of stand-up titled “Redemption Song.” In the 10-minute video, Chappelle talks to the off-camera crowd about catching the coronavirus (including his disapproval of those who disapprove of him touring during a pandemic, which is pretty on brand) and the insurrection at the Capitol. Towards the end, he addresses his last video, “Unforgiven,” where he first discussed his issues with Comedy Central and his lack of compensation.
“I asked you to stop watching the show and thank God almighty for you, you did,” Chappelle said. “You made that show worthless because without your eyes it’s nothing. And when you stopped watching it, they called me. And I got my name back and I got my license back and I got my show back and they paid me millions of dollars. Thank you very much.” He went on to thank Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and ViacomCBS’s Chris McCarthy for reversing the previous deal and coming to an agreeable solution: “I can finally say to Comedy Central, ‘it’s been a pleasure doing business with you.’”
As of today, Chappelle’s Show is once again available on Netflix. You can watch Chappelle’s video below.
35 Comments
So tell me this, if you will, you female dog: Is Dave Chappelle wealthy?
Money’s a helluva drug!
Maybe if he stops the unapologetic transphobia, I’ll watch again.
Your standards for transphobia are so low. If I as a black person had those standards for racism I wouldn’t be able to watch anything that wasn’t about elves and talking animals.
Let’s not forget about him contracting COVID, and possibly spreading it, because he refused to stop touring.
I get what you’re saying, but I do give him credit for making everybody where a mask and social distance, so at least his shows aren’t super spreader events. But yeah, it’s still a risk, even with the precautions.
How does he wear a mask when he’s smoking onstage like an asshole?
cool i guess? i mean i guess i’m glad i won’t have to hear him complain about this for years.
I have long been haunted by the idea that the laughter Chappelle heard from, was it a white crew member, that drove him away from Chappelle’s Show…might have been laughter of identification and recognition rather than reductive derision. For example, Chappelle has great bits where he owns that some stereotypes are grounded in truths, and questioning sometimes how they even became insults (not really questioning that they are USED as insults) like his “fried chicken” bit. I have a few identifying factors because of groups I belong to, and some of them I will bristle at right before admitting they are mostly true, and some that people point out are stereotypical when I didn’t even know that yet (“what do you mean we all do that, I’m an individual dammit”), often I have pride in the thing I am stereotypically identified with but I don’t want you saying it. It’s complicated. I laugh my ass off at that bit every time.I haven’t heard the definitive account of what happened, but I’m haunted by the idea that Chappelle was accomplishing his life’s work more than ever at the exact moment he walked away from it all.Glad he’s back, hope he stops being problematic on trans-rights. Glad he got paid, he’s rich biatch
“I’m haunted by the idea that Chappelle was accomplishing his life’s work more than ever at the exact moment he walked away from it all.”Chappelle doesn’t seem haunted by it. He seems content and at peace with the decision. If he’s not haunted, I would suggest you probably shouldn’t be either. Maybe it wasn’t the right call. Maybe he made it for the wrong reason. But it’s okay for everyone to move on.
If I had to guess, Dave had such a negative experience with fans quoting his lines over and over, along with meddling from the network, that that one white guy’s laughter was the straw that broke the camel’s back for him. When you’re that on edge, anything can set you off. I almost guarantee Christian Bale snapped at that DP because he was miserable working on Terminator.
I thought that was his best anti-racist joke!
I agree! That’s one of the great routines of all time. I understand there is a “am I making these jokes and getting laughs from non-minorities because they’re like ‘yeah minorities are like that!’ vs. ‘is that laughter of identification’” question for a lot of comedians but Chappelle was never even close to: “black people are like [denigration]” [white people laugh]
Can you *waves gestures to all of GMO* make it so that the videos you embed actually show up on firefox? I have adblocker and advanced tracker protection off. Now I either have to reopen this site on another browser or google his video
You use FIREFOX? In this day and age, located entirely on your PC?
You laugh, but I’ve switched back to Firefox from Chrome and don’t regret it one bit.
You mean the best browser in terms of speed/resource management/security? That Firefox?
No, I meant the ugliest and least user friendly browser…you know, Firefox…
You obviously don’t use Firefox. It’s great, especially for streaming video.
I use Firefox. The wife uses Chrome. It’s safer that way.
I use Firefox daily and often use it to access these sites. My tracking protection is on and unchanged from the default. The videos show fine for me. I would suggest you check your settings or something, but none are jumping at me offhand.
Where’s our cut, Dave?
Seriously, I don’t begrudge him from using whatever leverage he had to get a better deal but you know, the fans did get played here.
What if people continued to not watch?I was not watching before it was cool.
A happy story, that’s unusual. So not #2020.
Long national nightmare over.
Let the healing begin!
I’m not loving the new Dave. He seems a little too self righteous, too full of himself, too in love with his own pontifications. Some of all that is a good thing but I think he’s laying in on a bit thick now and it’s cutting into his comedy.
I tried to watch the clip above and had to quit once he started his strawman bitching about everyone staying home (during a pandemic) and whining at him about it, but screw them because he recovered from his bout with COVID. Really? He absolutely changed a while back and the new Dave is just a prick. You still see shades of his comic genius come through now and then but he’s just not the guy he used to be. Punching down, mean-spirited, lazy comedy, but I guess who cares because he’s surrounded by his adoring legions of bro-fans. I feel like the old Dave would be horrified, maybe even have done a sketch about this new Dave.
This was a short video that managed to include: whining about staying home during the pandemic, complaining about minor things like “pronouns,” his millions from Netflix, and his constant mentioning of his “greatness.”
I have thick skin when it comes to comedy, but there wasn’t much to like about version of Dave Chappelle. There’s always a swerve to relatability in his work, but he just came of as a rich bully. It was disappointing.
He does a lot of social observational stuff. He’s gotten older and wealthier, it’s not all bad, but it’s less relatable. Might have a few yes men in their or people to afraid to correct him or share their actual thoughts because of his power in the comedy world.
Old Dave was more self effacing, paranoid and a little insecure, which was funny and relatable. Now all his comedy is about how dope he is.
Way to stick it to the man,Da- uhh..wait,ok.Umm…yea capitalism??
So glad Dave could leverage his audience for another 8 figure payout.