Dave Chappelle
David Khari Webber Chappelle is known as Dave Chappelle. He is widely known for Chappelle’s Show on Comedy Central.
Career
An American comedian, actor, writer and producer. After graduating from Duke Ellington School of the Arts, he moved to New York City to start his career as a standup comedian. At 19 years old, he landed his first movie role in Men in Tights (1993). After an appearance on one episode of Home Improvement with Tim Allen became a notably popular episode, he was given his own sitcom called Buddies in 1996, which was cancelled after five of the 13 episodes produced.
In 1998, he starred in his cult comedy Half Baked, which he co-wrote with Neal Brennan. This led to Chappelle and Brennan collaborating on the Chappelle’s Show, which from 2003 until 2006. After two seasons, it was one of the most popular shows on TV, which in part led to Chappelle quitting the show, despite a $50 offer from Comedy Central. A partial third season was aired. Since then, he’s been known for touring as a standup comic and has been much more active since 2013. In 2017, he released two comedy specials on Netflix, with one more to follow.
Dave Chappelle’s Baba
Dave Chappelle’s rescue dog Baba often plays a role in his standup routine. He says, “I’ve never trained Baba. I’m just a messy eater. I drop food and if Baba is not around, all you gotta do is call him.”
Dave Chappelle Controversy
Dave Chappelle’s Netflix special The Closer has come under fire recently for containing transphobic and homophobic remarks. It led to a walkout at Netflix — and Chappelle remains unapologetic, saying: “I said what I said.”
Chappelle made the following joking statement, “To the transgender community, I am more than willing to give you an audience, but you will not summon me. I am not bending to anybody’s demands. And if you want to meet with me, I’d be more than willing to, but I have some conditions. First of all, you cannot come if you have not watched my special from beginning to end. You must come to a place of my choosing at a time of my choosing, and thirdly, you must admit that Hannah Gadsby is not funny.”