Dave Chappelle Teases Possible ‘Chappelle’s Show’ Revival

Is The Chappelle Show making a comeback? Maybe, according to its star, comedian Dave Chappelle.

Despite the show’s success, Chappelle left the show at the height of its popularity. He said morally, he didn’t agree with the direction the show was going in, and he admitted he was burned out.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, years after he vowed he was content with his decision to walk away, he is open to the possibilities. “If you’d asked me that question a year ago, I’d have told you absolutely not,” he said. “But in the last few weeks … I’m considering it.”

As for why the change of heart, Chappelle acknowledged the comedy landscape has shifted, with digital platforms and social media creating new pathways and the newer generation of creators curating their own lanes. 

Despite being a beloved comedy legend, Chappelle is not exempt from public backlash. “Sometimes people will attach things to your voice that don’t necessarily have anything to do with you,” he said in the interview. But he’ll always remain committed to his core. “Your responsibility is to be true to yourself and your work.”

The show ran on Comedy Central from 2003-2006, and has since come under fire for certain skits, including surrounding the scandals of Sean “Diddy” Combs and R. Kelly. In an 18-minute-long stand-up segment posted to Instagram in 2020, Chappelle talked about leaving the sketch comedy series.

“When I quit the show, all my friends would say, ‘Well then f–k them, Dave, why don’t you just do Chappelle’s Show at another network?’ Yeah, yeah, yeah. And why doesn’t the slave run from one plantation to another plantation because the master over there might be nicer! My God, man, I was trapped.”Chappelle admitted at the time that he had “thought about coming back and doing another Chappelle’s Show.” He then explained he “can’t call it Chappelle’s Show because my name and likeness is being used by them in perpetuity throughout the universe. It’s in the contract.”