Dave Chappelle: Why I walked away

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/04/13/people.chappelle.ap/index.html

Dave Chappelle: Why I walked away

Thursday, April 13, 2006; Posted: 9:18 a.m. EDT (13:18 GMT)

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Dave Chappelle says in a new interview that he had several reasons for walking away from his cult-fave "Chappelle's Show" -- and a deal worth more than $50 million. His decision to leave the Comedy Central series last May led fans and industry executives to question his motives, and his sanity. But in a 10-page spread in the Esquire magazine arriving Saturday, he says he closed "Chappelle" for reasons cultural, professional and personal.

Culturally: "The bottom line was, white people own everything, and where can a black person go and be himself or say something that's familiar to him and not have to explain or apologize?"

Professionally: "I felt like I was really pressured to settle for something that I didn't necessarily feel like I wanted."

Personally: "The thing about show business is that, in a way, it forces dysfunctional relationships in people."

...more...

He was scheduled for a new season in 2006. I even saw commercials for it on Comedy Central a couple months ago. The way this article portrays it, it looks like he's going to abandon that as well.

Please don't let this be true. I was so psyched for the show's return...

:(

before walking away. Comedy Central has flirted with the idea of putting them on the air without the standup interludes (he never made those parts) but is backing off because Chapelle really doesn't want them to air the stuff. So that's what you were seeing commercials for.

Poor poor Chappelle

:nopity:

The scenario reminds me of the scene in Crash.. except Chappell told them to fukc off.

I dig that.

He has earned my respect.

"where can a black person go and be himself or say something that's familiar to him and not have to explain or apologize?"

Um, Comedy Central perhaps? I can understand not liking the dysfunctional relationships that fame can create but the sentence above bugs me. He has the opportunity to create the very place he bitches about not existing. :shrug: