History Creator / DaveChappelle

* CharacterTics: Slapping the microphone against his thigh when he finds any of his own jokes particularly funny. In the Netflix specials, he sometimes runs his hand down the buttons on his done-up jacket when giving a monologue.

''Chappelle's Show'' was far and away Chappelle's claim to fame on a mainstream scale. The show ran for two seasons from 2003 to 2006, becoming a massive critical and ratings hit by its latter season, netting Chappelle two UsefulNotes/{{Emmy|Award}} nominations, and cementing him in the annals of popular culture from the [=2000s=] onwards through [[MemeticMutation memes]] and quotes derived from his sketches that are still referenced to this day.

** Host for Season 46, Episode 6 (2020), [[BookEnds coincidentally]] in the immediate aftermath of Trump's emerging loss in the presidential elections, which won him another Emmy

David Khari Webber Chappelle (born August 24, 1973 in Washington, D.C.) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer who achieved worldwide fame as the co-creator and host of the Creator/ComedyCentral variety show named (appropriately) ''Series/ChappellesShow'', and has gone on to be considered one of the greatest and most prominent comedians of his generation.

David Khari Webber Chappelle (born August 24, 1973 in Washington, D.C.) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer known for being the co-creator and host of the Creator/ComedyCentral variety show named (appropriately) ''Series/ChappellesShow''.

** Chappelle also mocked the entire story itself by questioning what on Earth someone would be doing out in Chicago at 2:30 AM in the winter[[note]] For those who don't know, Chicago is '''COLD''' in the winter, and that specific winter featured [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January%E2%80%93February_2019_North_American_cold_wave a particularly brutal cold spike]]. [[/note]], why that person would think to take the subway at such an ungodly hour, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking why on earth someone would seek to eat Subway sandwiches at 2:30 in the morning]].

* FlorenceNightingaleSyndrome: Frames how his relationship with his future wife Elaine started as this, with her letting him crash in her house after he got drunk while they were basically strangers, and then helping him get over his hangover the following morning.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Examined in excruciating detail during the closing minutes of ''Deep in the Heart of Texas'' where Dave discusses how he must gauge the quality and length of his potential masturbation sessions by estimating how long his family will be out of the house. Then, following the requisite shame of the aftermath, depending on how messy the result is, he may sometimes have the family dog come in to lap up the evidence.

* {{Deconstruction}}: His notable skill is in going through what might be seen as StockShticks, exploring their origins, highlighting the potential ridiculousness/justification behind such ideas/notions, and subsequently come out with a meaningful statement on RealLife dynamics and social questions. [[SubvertedTrope That is, if]] [[CrossesTheLineTwice he doesn't go off on a further tangent and take it back to hilarious]].

As far as early work goes, Chappelle's first credited role was in Creator/MelBrooks' ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights'' as "Ahchoo". He was offered the chance to star as Bubba in ''Film/ForrestGump'', but he turned down the role, [[ItWillNeverCatchOn believing that the movie would flop at the box office]] (a decision he would come to regret). He also co-wrote and starred in the stoner comedy film ''Film/HalfBaked''.

David Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle (born August 24, 1973 in Washington, D.C.) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer known for being the co-creator and host of the Creator/ComedyCentral variety show named (appropriately) ''Series/ChappellesShow''.

!!Chappelle and his work show examples of the following tropes:

** Host for Season 42, Episode 6 (2016), in the immediate aftermath of UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump's presidential win, which won him an UsefulNotes/EmmyAward.
** Host for Season 46, Episode 6 (2020), [[BookEnds coincidentally]] in the immediate aftermath of Trump's emerging loss in the presidential elections, which won him another Emmy.
** Host for Season 48, Episode 6 (2022).

** Host for Season 46, Episode 6 (2020), [[BookEnds coincidentally]] in the immediate aftermath of Trump's emerging loss in the presidential elections - and which won him another Emmy.

!!Related Tropes:

As far as early work goes, Chappelle's first credited role was in Creator/MelBrooks' ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights'' as "Ahchoo". He was offered the chance to star as Bubba in ''Film/ForrestGump'', but he turned down the role, [[ItWillNeverCatchOn believing that the movie would flop at the box office]] (a decision he would come to regret). Chappelle also co-wrote and starred in the stoner film ''Film/HalfBaked''.

His claim to fame on a mainstream scale was far and away ''Chappelle's Show''. Lasted for two seasons from 2003 to 2006, the show became a massive critical and ratings hit by its latter season, netted Chappelle two Emmy nominations, and cemented him in the annals of popular culture from the [=2000s=] onwards through [[MemeticMutation memes]] and quotes derived from his sketches that are still referenced to this day.

However, amid anticipation of a third season of the show, Chappelle suddenly went missing and resurfaced in South Africa. As the world would later find out, he had decided the fame was becoming too much, a conclusion driven heavily by Comedy Central [[ExecutiveMeddling getting involved in the show's production]] and him feeling that his mostly white fanbase was laughing at his jokes [[ModernMinstrelsy for the wrong reasons]]. He made appearances at stand-up stages, on talk shows, and in occasional independent projects, but he generally showed [[CelebrityIsOverrated no desire to reclaim the fame]] -- and the $50 million a third season would've secured -- that he walked away from at its height.

David Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle (born August 24, 1973 in Washington, D.C.) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer known for being the co-creator and host of the Creator/ComedyCentral show named (appropriately) ''Series/ChappellesShow''.

* CharacterTics: Slapping the microphone against his thigh when he finds any of his own jokes particularly funny. In the Netflix specials, he sometimes runs his hand down the buttons on his done-up jacket.

David Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle (born August 24, 1973 in Washington, D.C.) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer.

His first credited role was in Creator/MelBrooks' ''Film/RobinHoodMenInTights'' as "Ahchoo." He was offered the chance to star as Bubba in ''Film/ForrestGump'', but he turned down the role, [[ItWillNeverCatchOn believing that the movie would flop at the box office]] (a decision he would come to regret). Chappelle wrote and starred in the classic stoner film ''Film/HalfBaked''. He is best known, however, for his sketch comedy show on Creator/ComedyCentral named (appropriately) ''Series/ChappellesShow''. The show lasted from 2003 to 2006. During this time he came out with several sketches that enjoyed wide success--most famously in which Chappelle plays a disorderly Music/RickJames, driving the phrase "I'm Rick James, bitch!" [[MemeticMutation deep into American culture]]. Chappelle received two Emmy nominations for his show.

Chapelle's career abruptly ended when he decided the fame was becoming too much and people were laughing at his jokes [[MinstrelShows for the wrong reasons]]. He took an unannounced sabbatical in South Africa and then returned home to spend time with his family. He made appearances at stand-up stages, on talk shows, and in occasional independent projects, but he showed [[CelebrityIsOverrated no desire to reclaim the fame]] he walked away from at its height.

Chappelle started a comeback in late 2016 by hosting ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', an episode which was acclaimed for being a welcome breather from the particularly nasty 2016 presidential election. Memorable moments included a lengthy opening monologue reflecting on the election’s outcome, a collaboration with Creator/ChrisRock for an election night skit, a parody of ''Series/TheWalkingDead'' featuring Chappelle as BigBad Negan threatening his classic characters, and a "Last Call" sketch with series regular Creator/KateMcKinnon. This was followed by an intense bidding war by various networks to air new stand-up specials from Chappelle, with Creator/{{Netflix}} ultimately shelling out $60 million for the rights of two unreleased shows and a third produced in 2017 (a tidy improvement from the $50 million his Season 3 deal would have gotten him without the humiliation he felt as well).

!!Works of Note:

** ''The Closer'' (2021)

** His half-hour special, ''[[https://youtu.be/3tR6mKcBbT4 8:46]]'', is easily his most raw stand up to date. It has some jokes but the majority of it has Chappelle in deep anger and pain with him dealing with the George Floyd murder and the history of police brutality, it seemed like he was gonna break down in tears at times.
** His second filmed 2020 special, ''Unforgiven'' is even less joke prevalent. It deals with events during his childhood career of him getting screwed over by others, which he compares to how Creator/ComedyCentral treated him over ''Chappelle's Show'', sending him in a deep rage over how they licensed his show to Creator/{{Netflix}} and Creator/HBOMax with him not getting a cent over it (he made it clear it wasn't over money but the lack of respect he received that made him furious).

* FridgeLogic: PlayedWith for laughs in his bit on Jussie Smollett.[[note]] Smollett, an actor on the TV show Series/{{Empire}}, rather infamously claimed that he had been the victim of a racist, homophobic hate crime...subsequently, he was accused of staging the entire event.[[/note]] Chappelle noted that if Smollett's alleged attackers had in fact been racist, homophobic white men...then ''they would never watch a show like Empire in the first place.''
** Chappelle further joked that the specific insult thrown at Smollett didn't sound at all like how white people talked and instead that [[BoomerangBigot "It sounds like something that *I* would say!"]]
** Chappelle also mocked the entire story itself, by questioning what on earth someone would be doing out in Chicago at 2:30 AM in the winter [[note]] For those who don't know, Chicago is '''COLD''' in the winter, and that specific winter featured [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January%E2%80%93February_2019_North_American_cold_wave a particularly brutal cold spike]]. [[/note]], why that person would think to take the subway at such an ungodly hour, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking why on earth someone would seek to eat Subway sandwiches at 2:30 in the morning.]]

* NWordPrivileges: Chappelle explored the word on many different levels, pushing what was OK to say on TV and diving into the culture behind it. When people started treating the word casually because of how mainstream his work had become, he was very taken aback.

* RunningGag: ''The Age of Spin'': The four times Dave met O.J. Simpson- the last of which was told ''after'' his final punchline.
* StopBeingStereotypical: In ''Killing Them Softly'' he was taken aback when a waiter automatically assumed he would order the fried chicken in a restaurant just because of his ethnicity (and he was right). Chappelle entered a brief HeroicBSOD as he considered that perhaps instead of eating chicken because it was delicious, he ate it because he was genetically predisposed to enjoy it...right before eating the chicken anyway.

* ThisIsForEmphasisBitch: Many of his most famous sketches included punctuated curses: "I'm Rick James, Bitch!" "[[Creator/SamuelLJackson Sam Jackson's]] beer! It'll get you drunk! Mmm mmm, bitch!"

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: This trope is why he'd be reluctant to ever call 911 since those messages have a tendency to find their way to national television if the cases related to them are gristly enough. Understandably, no one would be all too focused on talking in a dignified or courageous manner during such a call, but Dave is still worried that if he perished regardless, his friends would bemoan how he "died crying like a bitch."

-->''You'll be walking down the street and you'll see a bunch of black dudes walking, not just any old black dudes, we're talking "thugs". And in the group, they got one, or two, sometimes as many as three white guys with them, you ever seen that shit? Well let me tell you something about those white guys. Those white guys are the most dangerous motherfuckers in them groups. It's true, man. There's no telling what kind of crazy shit they've done to get them black dudes respect, but i'll tell you they've done some wild shit.''

* CharacterTics: Slapping the microphone against his thigh when he finds his own joke particularly funny. In the Netflix specials, he sometimes run his hand down the buttons on his done-up jacket too.

* FridgeLogic: PlayedWith for laughs in his bit on Jussie Smollett.[[note]] Smollett, an actor on the TV show Series/Empire, rather infamously claimed that he had been the victim of a racist, homophobic hate crime...subsequently, he was accused of staging the entire event.[[/note]] Chappelle noted that if Smollett's alleged attackers had in fact been racist, homophobic white men...then ''they would never watch a show like Empire in the first place.''

** At one point he deconstructs cartoons and kids' shows, comparing WesternAnimation/PepeLePew's constantly unwanted advances to sexual assault and calling ''Series/SesameStreet'' a very unsafe neighborhood filled with strange animals, on top of well as teaching kids to label people through their treatment of Oscar, who is homeless and has every right to be grouchy about it.