Back in December, comedian Dave Chappelle put his own business out there in these cold streets in an effort to wrest the rights to his livelihood, name and physical likeness from the Hollywood apparatus that controlled them.
Those of a certain age can recall how a young Chappelle became disenfranchised and awakened by the harsh realities of his contract with Comedy Central over his widely successful “Chappelle Show” sketch comedy.
The rumors of a deteriorating mental state, a fake crack habit and a pilgrimage to the African continent were set out by multiple media sources in an attempt to make a brother look plum-crazy, but the truth of the matter is that Dave had become more enlightened.
Indeed, enlightenment is burdensome in that it forces one to make a decision based upon newly revealed ingested information that “came to light” later.
READ MORE: The 5 Funniest Chappelle Show Skits On Dave’s 45th Birthday
He realized that he was being used and decided to do the only thing he could do, he left a hit show in its prime. However, it was that very same paradigm that forced Dave to come to the people and ask for their assistance in regaining control of his legacy and image back in November 2020.
He did a self-boycott, y’all! But it worked.
“I asked you to stop watching the show and thank God almighty for you, you did. You made that show worthless because without your eyes it’s nothing. And when you stopped watching it, they called me,” Chappelle says in the clip. “And I got my name back and I got my license back and I got my show back and they paid me millions of dollars. Thank you very much.“
Dave Chappelle, with the help of his fanbase, has reclaimed his image and got money that was rightfully his. Though Netflix and Comedy Central had ironclad contracts that say they own the rights to Chappelle’s image, his name and show “in perpetuity”, they showed a great deal of allyship in looking to correct a longstanding wrong. Can’t front on them for that.
Here’s what Dave, in his own words, describing how it all went down, and the positive outcome.
