Dave Chappelle

**greencrest1272** · April 13th, 2006, 10:46 AM

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."

Chappelle tells the magazine that putting on "Chappelle's Show" was the best television experience he ever had. He plans to continue telling jokes and entertaining audiences, he says, so long as he can retain a degree of personal and creative freedom

**Unchained** · April 13th, 2006, 04:32 PM

That's double-standard as hell
If I stand up and say "I am proud to be white", I have to start explaining that I am not racist-just proud of my heritage. Where can a white man go and say that, and not have to explain?
BTW-anyone who knows me at all will vouch that I am not racist-just saying that this works for whites as well, not just blacks.

**jake_norris** · April 13th, 2006, 08:09 PM

Nobody is owed anything just because of a demographic. Black, asian, white, male, female, it doesn't matter, you get what you earn. That's how it should be.

**imported_Mercury** · April 16th, 2006, 11:34 PM

I think that nobody can really say anything about what he's said because those are his personal feelings about things that happened to him personally. How do we know what exactly happened to him and how it made him feel? We don't. And for him to walk away from something like that having that much money on the line you know something major had to have happened...

**Unchained** · April 17th, 2006, 08:10 PM

Hey, we all have feelings. I have experienced reverse racism to a degree that most can't even begin to comprehend, but I'm not going to yank out the race card because some inmate called me a racial slur. I just get sick of the card getting overplayed. They say that love has no color-well neither does racial ignorance. If I am to hate blacks because some black guy called me a honkie, then I am part of the problem, and not the solution. Here's a guy that is in the limelight, and has a chance to educate the public about tolerance and understanding, yet he chooses to take the low road, and passes on a real opportunity to make a difference.

**greencrest1272** · April 17th, 2006, 08:12 PM

Great post.

**imported_Mercury** · April 17th, 2006, 08:42 PM

I agree that racism isn't just a white towards black thing....racism goes in all direction, black towards white, white towards Islamic, etc. But don't forget that Chappelle is a comedian, which means he tells jokes for a living and also plays on sensitive subjects as a way of using his talent. If you have ever watched any of Chappelle's stuff you would realize that he isn't racist and if he was he would be racist against every race because he talks about ALL races....even his own. And I'm sorry but I know 100% that I could never feel discriminated against as much as I imagine black people had felt. Chappelle isn't saying he hates white people...that's stupid to even assume, he is joking, if you could have seen him on Inside the Actor's Studio you would understand it a little better. Don't you think that magazines and whatever else is going to play up that Chappelle is racist because that's what people love....hate and drama and all that crap...that's what sells.

**Unchained** · April 17th, 2006, 08:52 PM

Actually am a fan of his shows (as I was the crew from In Living Color-which I never heard talking to the media off-set about whites owning everything). Naturally, good comedians will spoof on all races, and that's cool when you know it is done in jest.

**imported_Mercury** · April 17th, 2006, 09:07 PM

If you are a fan then you know how on Inside the Actor's Studio, he jokes about how he's been "dancing" for white people for 17 years. So, obviously what he's saying is a joke and not out of hate.

**Unchained** · April 17th, 2006, 09:24 PM

Obviously is alot like asumption. He obviously was giving an interview, not on Inside the actor's Studio (two totally different stages). You will choose to assume that it was just another joke in jest. I'll choose to question it. The great thing about this place is that we both can agree to disagree, and simply leave it at that [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]