‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Appalled Contestants Couldn’t Recognize Dave Chappelle

Jeopardy! fans were appalled this week after none of the three contestants in an episode could recognize comedian Dave Chappelle. On Thursday, Chappelle was the subject of a question during Double Jeopardy, which also included a photo of the star. Reading the question, interim host Ken Jennings stated, “This comedian displayed his drama chops in A Star is Born, playing Bradley Cooper‘s longtime friend.”

After he was finished, there was only silence. None of the contestants rang in, as none of them recognized the comedy A-lister. Surprisingly, at least one of the contestants wasn’t familiar enough with Chappelle to remember his name, as he has been doing films and TV for nearly three decades. He got his start in stand-up in the late ’80s and then went on to star in Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men in Tights as Ahchoo, Robin’s right-hand man. He also co-wrote and starred in the 1998 stoner classic Half Baked and then went on to be catapulted to super-stardom with his Comedy Central sketch series, Chappelle’s Show. Understandably, many fans were taken aback by the contestants not recognizing Chappelle, and they have taken to social media to express themselves.

​

“Nobody on Jeopardy knew who Dave Chappelle was,” one user lamented, “and the clue just was a picture of him! I-.”

​

“How did nobody know that was the GREAT Dave Chappelle?! ” someone else curiously exclaimed.

​

“Remember last night when nobody on Jeopardy could identify Dave Chappelle?” a fan asked the following day.

​

“Yikes no one on Jeopardy could name Dave Chappelle,” a Twitter user wrote, “and they showed a photo of him!”

​

“Definitely disappointed that nobody knew who Dave Chappelle was on Jeopardy today though,” a viewer offered.

​

“Someone has to force these Jeopardy contestants to watch Chappelle’s Show,” a fan quipped.

​

“Last night on Jeopardy, even with a photo clue, all three contestants didn’t know who Chappelle was,” one last user tweeted. “I was embarrassed.”