Dave Chappelle Refuses to Be Silenced

good comedians will make you laugh the best comedians will make you laugh at things you are not supposed to laugh at iconic comedians will transcend the punch lines challenge societal Norms transgress established boundaries and continue to share their thoughts despite an uproar of negative criticism Dave Chappelle is an iconic comedian but he did not get there easily there have been numerous attempts to silence Dave whether it was a Heckler an angry journalist or a multi-billion dollar organization but Dave was never willing to compromise his Integrity not for one man not for one dollar his big break in Hollywood was when Universal Pictures bought a movie Dave and Neil Brennan wrote called half-baked it's a silly Stoner comedy reminiscent of Jay and Silent Bob that wasn't a huge hit but the movie did grow 17 million dollars against a 7 million dollar budget and has become a cult classic since 24 year old Dave wasn't fully happy with the way the film came out but he was extremely proud to have his movie on the big screen at such a young age from there he started pitching a television show to various networks Fox was did but they worried the show casted too many black people more specifically they thought the female star of the show wasn't funny and they wanted Dave to recast her to a white actress Dave simply denied because this particular sitcom was based on his life and he grew up in an all-black household a few days after that meeting variety posted an article that claimed he was playing the race card Dave said this network built itself on black viewers and what they're saying is white people are narcissistic they don't want to watch black people they want to watch themselves it tells every black artist no matter what you do you need whites to succeed Fox claims they were making a light suggestion to add a different perspective a point of view that allows a larger audience to appreciate it most young people in the industry would just accept the request of a major corporation but Dave was unashamed of his decision and was willing to tell the world exactly how he felt I felt like I was beaten up and completely degraded he said it's disgusting and it made me want to vomit it pretty much took Dave one bad experience to know this whole Hollywood thing is overrated to make matters worse his father was on his deathbed while traveling back and forth from LA to Ohio he realized how much he loved the small town of Yellow Springs he describes it as something so real in contrast to Hollywood's powerful illusion Dave purchased a farm out in the town with 3 000 people because he can focus on his family and friends he can have real genuine interactions with people who aren't trying to gain something from him sadly his father passed away at the young age of 59. William David Chappelle III was a veteran college professor and an organizer in the civil rights movement in Ohio although young Dave lost the man he would go to for all of his advice he knew that his father would want him to stand up and speak out for what he thought was right Dave was not going to let anyone walk all over him because Comedy Central was about to try their best at controlling him Dave was convinced that after his father had passed he was done with the show business and he was just going to do stand-up his first hour-long comedy special Killing Them Softly released on HBO and many consider this to be one of the best stand-up specials of all time people knew Dave was a generational Talent he knew it he could not give up on this dream he started writing a variety show with various skits and sketches that were personal and relatable to the common man he knew he had something big and after a few years in 2003 he decided to pitch a new show titled the Chappelle show which got picked up by Comedy Central for two seasons the Chappelle show is regarded by many as the greatest sketch comedy show in history Dave would open the show performing stand-up to a live audience and then shift the joke into a pre-recorded sketch all of his bits were rooted in a great deal of irony basically conveying the exact opposite of what you would expect like this employee training video that teaches you exactly how to get fired getting to work first of all never show up on time he created characters that would earn Die Hard fan bases like Tyrone Biggums who was well pretty much just a crackhead or Clayton Bixby the world's only black white supremacist due to his blindness he didn't know that he was actually black sometimes his characters were just over exaggerated versions of real people like Lil Jon or Rick James I'm Rick James enjoy yourself edgy isn't even a good enough word to describe Dave's humor he was way over the edge with some of these bits the most shocking of them all was perhaps the hard R family a rich Suburban white family whose last name is the racial slur the very first episode of Chappelle Show tackled an extremely risky subject basically becoming a mission statement for the program if you don't like this you won't like anything else something like the Chappelle show will never air on TV ever again but at the time people loved it now even in 2004 the mainstream media was against shocking vulgar and risky entertainment but they had a little tolerance the solution back then was put it on after hours like after 9 pm when the kids are asleep the Chappelle show averaged 3.1 million viewers per episode in 2004 just shy of Saturday night lives 3.7 million however Dave's impact on culture at that time far exceeded SNL he was a superstar comedian at a time where comedy was missing Superstars Dave's show Saved Comedy Central from failing and made them a ton of money Chappelle Show season 2 uncensored has broken both the first day and Seven Day sales records for TV on DVD with close to 500 000 units sold on its May 24th release date and more than one point 2 million units sold in its first week out in the market Chappelle showed season 1 uncensored release last year is the best-selling TV on DVD title with close to 3 million copies sold because of the first two seasons undeniable success Comedy Central offered Dave a whopping 50 million dollars for a new season but instead he walked away like many people who are new to the entertainment industry Dave signed a contract that he didn't fully understand of course he hired a lawyer but ultimately he knew this show was great for his career and he would make good money what could possibly go wrong Dave says he never got paid for the Chappelle show because the contract said Comedy Central didn't have to pay him this contract also said that they have the exclusive right to use the name and likeness of the artist in perpetuity throughout the Universe in any and all media known or invented in the future on top of them literally owning him Dave just straight up didn't like the fame and attention he just liked comedy but even that was getting ruined one night while he was performing in Sacramento California he walked off the stage after rating his audience for constantly shouting I'm Rick James which had become a catchphrase from the popular Rick James sketch on his show stand up is the most important thing I do and because I'm on TV you make it hard for me to do it he said the show is ruining my life Chappelle told the crowd besides requiring him to work 20 hours a day it has made him a star which has resulted in the inability of fans to treat him as an individual so when Comedy Central offered him 50 million dollars it came with stipulations he had to get approvals on certain jokes he didn't have full creative control and they worked him like a dog it wasn't worth the money so one day he just walked offset and moved to South Africa desperate to get as far away from Hollywood as possible in response Comedy Central ran a smear campaign on him saying that he was crazy and on drugs in May 2005 Comedy Central began promoting the anticipated debut of Chappelle's Show season three one day later the channel announced that the production on the show had been unexpectedly suspended then one week later every news Outlet reported that Chappelle had checked into a mental health facility in south Africa perpetuating The Narrative that he was mentally unstable some reports said he was even smoking crack that's freaked out man with the fame thing and being called crazy and drug addict and all these things scared me you know just being treated that way like I'm not a person anymore you say this about me in front of my children and who really like who the do these people think they are and they don't know what happened you know Dave's exit from the 50 million dollar deal was one of the most profound statements in pop culture history he was already Mega famous but ironically this exit made him even more famous One 2006 article said these days if Dave Chappelle merely catches a cold it winds up in the media or on the Internet he fired back saying he was not on drugs and he was not crazy in fact he was the most level-headed person out there denying money for his sanity I'm not in a mental facility everyone around me says you're a genius you're great that's your voice but I'm not sure they're right you hear so many voices jockeying for position in your mind that you want to make sure you hear your own voice so I figured let me just cut myself off from everybody take a minute and pull a Flintstone stop a speeding car by using my bare feet as the brakes Hollywood just couldn't fathom that someone who became famous would choose to abandon that lifestyle he did make a short reappearance at the 48th Grammy Awards where he received a standing ovation right in front of the entire industry Dave told them how he didn't want to be there the only thing harder than leaving show business is coming back later that evening he went to an after party held at the home of the legendary artist prince instead of talking to Mariah Carey common or industry powerhouses he sat in a chair on the back patio only conversing with people who wanted to he looks like he is hiding from his peers hiding from the attention hiding from the part of himself that is a major star Dave said this ain't really my thing after that night Dave realized it was time to disappear and he did just that and nobody really heard from him for many years what did you do for those 10 years it was a humble existence I had had young children I was raising my kids I was living in Suburban life and then every once in a while I get this feeling like I'm the funniest guy I gotta get out there and I would like fly to Denver do a week in Denver or something and that's when he would read I was doing like these six hour shows and perform like I was desperate for it I loved it yeah he rode across the country on a motorcycle focused on raising his children maintained good standing relationships with his friend friends he lived an extremely normal life just like me and most of you watching this video David only makes selective appearances from 2005 to 2016. he had a few random stand-up performances here and there one of them even broke a world record a six hour and seven minute set at the Laugh Factory became the longest comedic performance in history he performed at the Oddball Comedy Tour in 2013 doing large Arenas around the country in Hartford Connecticut he was booed and heckled during his entire set foreign [Applause] until he left the stage saying This Crowd was the worst one he had seen in his whole life this bomb made Dave realize he was Rusty and he needed to get back to being funny again so in 2014 he made a grand comeback by headlining 10 nights at New York City's iconic Radio City Music Hall the buzz surrounding his return grew as he was interviewed on various late night talk shows Dave rocked the sold out crowds every single night selling over 60 000 tickets in total these Unforgettable shows marked His official return to the spotlight after his prolonged absence Dave achieved a legendary status just from his Comedy Central show and one stand-up special the comedy community as a whole was honored to have him back he hosted Saturday Night Live during election weekend when Trump won in 2016. Donald Trump he did it he's he's our president I feel bad saying that I'm staying in a Trump Hotel right now I don't know if he's gonna make a good president but he makes a swell hotel suite I'm gonna tell you that housekeeping comes in in the morning and cleans my room and I just hey good morning housekeeping grab a big handful of say you know boss said it was okay citizens feared that the new president was going to destroy this country Dave was skeptical but ended his monologue with this message I'm wishing Donald Trump luck and I'm a chance and we the historically disenfranchised demand that he give us one to thank you very much Netflix announced that they would be hosting Dave for three specials in which he would be receiving 20 million dollars for each one in a way this can be seen as making up for the trouble he went through with Comedy Central the age of spin was released on Netflix in 2017 and was met with good reviews months later while headlining at Radio City Music Hall he made multiple jokes about the transgender Community one in specific talks about Trump Banning trans people from serving in the U.S military in which Dave pokes fun and says that Isis would be horrified to see trans women storming at them Chappelle says he doesn't understand trans people but doesn't think that disqualifies them from being a human being that deserves a life with dignity and happiness and respect he ended by arguing that sometimes he thinks the only reason all of us are talking about transgenders is because white men want to do it if it was just black people and Mexicans like Hey Y'all we feel like girls inside they'd be like shut up no one asked you how you felt Dave received a lot of criticism with many citing that it doesn't matter he is joking because they are rooted in bigotry and over generalizations or they say he shouldn't joke about a topic he is uneducated on this back and forth just perpetuated more jokes and commentary from Dave it became a bulk of his material you know who hates me the most the transgender community despite the controversy his comeback was receiving all the praise in 2017 Chappelle received a Grammy award for best comedy album for his first two specials the age of Spin and deep in the Heart of Texas and later that year would go on to receive an Emmy Award and another Grammy for outstanding variety special for Equanimity he also won the Mark Twain Prize for American humor but it was in 2019 where the backlash reached New Heights Sticks and Stones released on Netflix in 2019 and Dave didn't hold back on this one me too gun control opioid crisis cancel culture and of course the transgender Community he covered every hot button Topic in one special Sticks and Stones marks a shift this performance felt way more like a piece of social commentary rather than stand-up comedy at least in the first half now I think this goes without saying but comedy is extremely nuanced cherry picking clips and bits can often remove the necessary contacts that sells a joke NBC said that today's context-free Twitter culture is preventing Dave from thriving you're either fighting president Donald Trump or Europe Mega apologist you're either believe all women or you're anti-me too and that black and white world is not one in which Dave Chappelle has ever operated particularly now many people read headlines and tweets and form opinions without actually digesting the material however even those who did fully digest the special still were not impressed Sticks and Stones registers as a temper tantrum the product of a man who wants it all money Fame influence without much having to answer to anyone Forbes chimed in with Dave Chappelle's Sticks and Stones tries too hard to offend comedians have always made jokes about current societal standards and political climates discussing societal issues mixed in with quips and bits make their performances relatable but not too serious Dave and many people in defense of Comedy argue that nothing is off limits when it comes to jokes but opposers pick and choose what is allowed to be joked about at this point we're re-entering a familiar cycle Chappelle releases a special on Netflix he says something insidiary it's quoted back to him in a headline and Chappelle reacts to the criticism in another Netflix special but this isn't necessarily A Bad Thing a comedian is not absolved from criticism and critics don't have to think someone is funny this cycle is a product of free speech and any sane human understands both sides are allowed and should speak their mind one person who knows that the most is Dave Chappelle who boycotted his own show because he felt like it in 2020 Viacom the owner of the Chappelle show licensed the show to Netflix and HBO Max without providing Dave with any compensation and without making him aware of the deal he was aware that it was legal in the court of law as it was stated in the contract he signed during the show's initial negotiations but he saw the move as unethical in a video released by Dave titled Unforgiven he would ask his fans to boycott the show on HBO until he was paid citing the ethical obligations of Viacom to pay him what he was owed since he had such a good relationship with Netflix he was Furious they did this to him because of how badly Comedy Central treated him so I called them and do you want to know what they did they agreed that they would take it off their platform just so I could feel better that's why I put Netflix Dave and his fans praise Netflix for removing the show based on his feelings but they were shocked when members of the trans Community tried to get Dave's special removed because he hurt their feelings the closer was his 2021 Netflix special where he again made jokes about trans people as well as anti-gay jokes and defending turfs he stated in the special that gender is a fact in the specials closing moments he tells a story about his friend Daphne Dorman who was a trans woman and standout comedian that defended Dave from criticism in his previous special Sticks and Stones punching down requires you to consider yourself Superior to another group Dave Chappelle doesn't consider himself better than me in any way he isn't punching up or punching down he's punching lines that's his job and he's a master of his craft Dave claimed that Daphne Dorman received so much hate from her own community that she died by side six days after the special right-wing media went into a frenzy saying the trans Community are hypocrites and will destroy their own people however there is little evidence that supports Daphne's expiration has anything to do with hate back in 2019 that tweet had just 12 replies another tweet supporting Chappelle had nine the Instagram post in which she declared her friendship with Chappelle doesn't have any critical replies comments on her Facebook post announcing that she was opening for Chappelle are uniformly positive so are the ones on Reddit after she posted about it there she doesn't appear to have said anything on Twitter or Facebook about receiving abuse her side note doesn't mention bullying nor do any of the obituaries written after her death because of this many people thought Dave was using someone's death to his own benefit and the trans Community were tired of Dave Netflix employees interpreted the closer as hate speech and 65 employees participated in a walk out and protest of the company the protest garnered a lot of support online however it was generally unsuccessful because Netflix has stood behind Dave kept his specials up and continued to work with him in the future then things escalated to physical violence against Dave oh foreign was the name of the suspect who later admitted why he attacked the comedian I identify as bisexual and I wanted him to know what he said was triggering I wanted him to know that next time he should consider first running his material by people it could affect Isaiah Lee has also been charged with attempted murder after stabbing his roommate in a last effort to take down Dave a venue in Minneapolis cancel the sold-out show of his hours before the doors were set to open we believe in diverse voices and the freedom of artistic expression but in honoring that we lost sight of the impact this would have the event was moved to a smaller venue in the same city and sold out two shows back to back it seemed like the more backlash Dave got the more it would ultimately help his career the closer was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding variety special to close out the Year Dave took the stage on SNL and delivered the show's opening monologue and yes he faced even more controversy recently Kanye West had went on an anti-semitic rant on social media to which Dave responded with I denounced anti-Semitism in all its forms and I stand with my friends in the Jewish community and that Kanye is how you buy yourself some time you know the rules of perception if if they're black then it's a gang if they're Italian it's a mob but if they're Jewish it's a coincidence and you should never speak about it despite Dave obviously disagreeing with Kanye his jokes entertain the possibility that some of what yay said holds an ounce of Truth which led to even more critics calling Dave anti-semitic he ended the monologue with a message it shouldn't be this scary to talk about anything let's make my job incredibly difficult to be honest with you I'm getting sick I'm talking to a crowd like this I love you to death and I thank you for your support and I hope they don't take anything away from me whoever they are some people think that Dave's Legacy has been tainted by hardcore transphobia or trying too hard to be controversial even though his comedy has always towed the line as to what is socially acceptable Dave has benefited greatly from free speech he has gained hundreds of millions of dollars and die hard fans around the world so it's only fair if his opposition can also speak up and voice their opinions and disagreements with his performances all attempts to silence Dave have been proven unsuccessful because no matter what he will always get right back on that stage and speak his mind

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Id: 2LyCFp5SEiM

Length: 21min 1sec (1261 seconds)

Published: Mon Aug 14 2023