good point. you saw him get a lil emotional when talking about his friend and co-writer, and at one point oprah was holding his hand, but yeah i agree, he was quite collected up there.
He's a comedian/actor by nature, though. Plus, he's had to think about this more than anyone else has at an intense level, so you'd probably come out of that in the right state of mind. It's been a while since all of this went down, anyway.
The subtext in this interview was nuts; it was read-between-the-lines-theatre. Chapelle might have had some kind of nervous breakdown that he didn't recognize as such - I think that might be the core issue at this point - more than money or groupies or grubbers or power or even moral conflicts. Race is a factor, too, but I just think that the guy couldn't handle the compounded pressure of being an American entertainment mogul. There is NO shame in that, either. Look: America has its focus on aggrandized notions of value-and-worth games in which assets are the means AND the end. I get bored, annoyed, and then plain scared of Sugar Smacks Livvin'. Why can't folks just quietly wake up, work, eat, fuck sometimes, and go to sleep? Increasingly, this is my thesis: It's upsetting to me to live in a country where success-for-the-sake-of-success has become far more important than A Good Name. To me, the money game is pointless when it eclipses the basic human necessities and a modicum of comfort. Chapelle - demons aside - has more of this basic, realistic view of life than most celebrities I've seen interviewed. This is why I root for him as a person. I think that Chapelle also means something important to black Americans. There was an interesting portion of the interview in which the comedian recounted an incident in which he was told to wear a dress in a gag bit. Chapelle refused, and then told Oprah something along the lines of "whenever black comedians get successful, they want us to wear a dress." Chapelle was talking about the value of black dignity, which is powerful speech. I also think that he mirrors where African Americans stand in their country in 2005 - getting more successful, gaining more respect, but still not equal to whites and, understanding this, are rightfully upset. Whatever happens to David Chapelle, I hope he does well in life. I'd like to see more of his groundbreaking show, but not at the cost of his soul or personal well-being.
this was an incredibly interesting interview to watch, i like how luck put it: behind-the-scenes theater. i also agree with the thought that chapelle did have a breakdown, and i think he is still battling a lot of his own personal demons. he wasn't put in an extraordinarily stressful situation, he created that for himself. you don't just have people whom you are close to, people that you work with, and others, all telling you that you're crazy without their being some basis to it.
and to respond to whoever said chapelle seemed comfortable, i unfortunately have to disagree. dude didn't seem well to me at all, despite his showmanship and little humor bits. i hope he gets good though.
he wasn't put in an extraordinarily stressful situation, he created that for himself.
This statement puzzles me. It sounds like you're putting all of the blame for this on Chappelle's shoulders. I personally believe that Dave was doing what he does best. Then, Comedy Central and the string of companies above them put $50M in his pocket. Problem was, they never took their hands out! ::PAUSE:: So here's Dave with all of that "pressure" in the new season, that would drive a m*th*rf*ck*r crazy, no doubt.
he wasn't put in an extraordinarily stressful situation, he created that for himself.
This statement puzzles me. It sounds like you're putting all of the blame for this on Chappelle's shoulders. I personally believe that Dave was doing what he does best. Then, Comedy Central and the string of companies above them put $50M in his pocket. Problem was, they never took their hands out! ::PAUSE:: So here's Dave with all of that "pressure" in the new season, that would drive a m*th*rf*ck*r crazy, no doubt.
How can you blame Dave for that?
There really is no right or wrong in this situation. Lots of people have walked away from the spotlight at their peak because they didn't like the shenanigans of the merchant class. Flip Wilson is a notable example. In his time he was big if not bigger than Dave is now and he just up and walked away from the whole business at the very height of his fame. Pearl Jam/Eddie Vedder melted down under the intense sun of instant celebrity. They have since regrouped to find their path while "not selling out" their values. If Dave is going stay in the business, he is going to have to pick his desired path and learn to handle the money guys. Oprah did it, Cosby did it and Jay-Z seems to be handling it. I see no reason that he can't but he is going to have to get out of his head and find a little of that hunger he had when he was struggling. Otherwise he is going to stay awfully confused about the nature of the beast.
and to respond to whoever said chapelle seemed comfortable, i unfortunately have to disagree. dude didn't seem well to me at all, despite his showmanship and little humor bits. i hope he gets good though.
that was me who thought chapelle seemed awfully comfortable talking about his demons. as a kid, i remember watching richard pryor being grilled on national teevee by barbara walters about his freebase accident and how it affected his career. haven't seen it in years, but pryor seemed introspective, contemplative, and not like he was "making show" for the cameras. and pryor was a man who knew how to laugh to keep from crying too.
compared to that, chapelle seemed to be mighty carefree the other morning. (i said "seemed to").
he wasn't put in an extraordinarily stressful situation, he created that for himself.
This statement puzzles me.
shit, i knew that wasn't going to come out right. i think luck stated it as best as i ever could some folks aren't meant for that level of stardom/responsibilty some folks would agree to that contract, agree to comedy central/viacom's wishes and been paid out the ass while making mediocre comedy (eddie murphy?) i think dave made a smart move he has a farm he has a famly he realized he didn't need to go that route but, based on what i've read and heard, he went kind of crazy making that decision i think he put a lot of the pressure that he speaks about on himself for example, when he says he came back to the offices and there was a wall where his office used to be... um... i read that as he came into a lot of money, the offices were remodeled, and in his paranoid mindstate he freaked. he admiitted he was paranoid. he admitted he wasn't doing well. so... please try to read through my ineloquence as "he created a lot of unnecessary stress for himself" and most of all, i don't think a sane man leaves a continent without telling his wife and children about it
and most of all, i don't think a sane man leaves a continent without telling his wife and children about it
I think this points out the difference between how people percieve circumstance. It sounded like Chapelle at that point trusted ONE person completely, and that was his Brother. It sounds like perhaps his marriage(he made several oblique references to 'personal problems')was suffering as much as everything else as a result of the problems he was under. Not every marriage is 100% healthy all the time, and not every husband makes the right decision at crucial moments. I think he pointedly avoided getting into really 'personal things' like that. When Oprah pressed him even a little about any of this from his Wife's perspective ("You have to admit that sounds a bit crazy"), Chappelle repeated, "I BOUNCED", and kept moving on.
Did anyone else get the feeling Dave could have handled all this a little better?
There where a lot of people supporting Dave, his partner, agent, publicist, and all the other people holding him up behind the scenes, he fucked a lot of people out of a lot of money that they helped Dave earn. If my "partner" bounced like that on me, I would have been like "fuck that guy" too. People around you will go crazy if you get 50 mill, especially if they have an agreed cut. They where working for that big break to. Agents dream is to have a client get that kind of money. 10% of 50 mill is a lot of money.
And he left without telling his wife and children?
That interview made me lose a lot of respect for the guy as a person.
Dave's desicion to leave was one of the best career moves he could have ever made. Now his show is cult, unlike SNL where they've jumped the shark 20 yrs ago.
I agree with Chase. People seem far too eager to forgive Dave's complete lack of professionalism. It would be interesting to hear the other side of the story.
The subtext in this interview was nuts; it was read-between-the-lines-theatre. Chapelle might have had some kind of nervous breakdown that he didn't recognize as such - I think that might be the core issue at this point - more than money or groupies or grubbers or power or even moral conflicts. Race is a factor, too, but I just think that the guy couldn't handle the compounded pressure of being an American entertainment mogul. There is NO shame in that, either. Look: America has its focus on aggrandized notions of value-and-worth games in which assets are the means AND the end. I get bored, annoyed, and then plain scared of Sugar Smacks Livvin'. Why can't folks just quietly wake up, work, eat, fuck sometimes, and go to sleep? Increasingly, this is my thesis: It's upsetting to me to live in a country where success-for-the-sake-of-success has become far more important than A Good Name. To me, the money game is pointless when it eclipses the basic human necessities and a modicum of comfort. Chapelle - demons aside - has more of this basic, realistic view of life than most celebrities I've seen interviewed. This is why I root for him as a person. I think that Chapelle also means something important to black Americans. There was an interesting portion of the interview in which the comedian recounted an incident in which he was told to wear a dress in a gag bit. Chapelle refused, and then told Oprah something along the lines of "whenever black comedians get successful, they want us to wear a dress." Chapelle was talking about the value of black dignity, which is powerful speech. I also think that he mirrors where African Americans stand in their country in 2005 - getting more successful, gaining more respect, but still not equal to whites and, understanding this, are rightfully upset. Whatever happens to David Chapelle, I hope he does well in life. I'd like to see more of his groundbreaking show, but not at the cost of his soul or personal well-being. first...this is an incredibly eloquent observation. Much kudos to LUCK.
The thing that is most tragic to me is that Dave is obviously still suffering greatly from what was bothering him initially, and then caused him get up and go in the first place. It is so very sad that when Oprah asks him in essence "did you go crazy", that because of the society we live in, he cannot say "shit yeah i went crazy...wouldn't you have!!!!" Pressure can do many things to our state of mind, and EVERYBODY jumps the fuck out of their mind once or twice in their lives. Basically if he admits this, his career is over as he knew it, and nobody wants to completely tear down something they worked for just because of an admission. Why media and members of the viewing public would interpret this kind of admission as totally negative is beyond me, but they would and Dave knows this. I wish he had the freedom to just outright state that he was feeling totally collapsed and just wanted to leave all the bullshit behind.
I wanna say that everybody calling Dave crazy after seeing this is RLY crazy. Y'all ain't lost control of your situation at work before? He talked about how he's been losing an old friend because of the business. He said he went to work everyday and felt awful, had people laughin at him not with him. You ain't have someone try to make you wear-the-dress as a metaphor? That shit is real, dun. If you ain't been in a situation like this before than you lucky.
I like Dave cause he's tryna deal with real problems. I got real problems - owe a lot of money to banks I don't have, Real Schitt Money Problems. Fuck it. If I had cash to get to South Africa on the quickness? I'm the f- out. LATERZ.
Dave is dealing with some issues of identity, compromise and pressure. If you can't relate than you are not reachin from a sheltered life (yet), or you are just lucky.
Here's a good column piece on Dave's appearance from today's SF Chronicle.
Fame finally got to Dave Chappelle. Well, sort of. More like his conscience. - Tim Goodman Monday, February 6, 2006
Click to ViewClick to View
Doug Herzog, you're on the clock.
There was a lot to take away from red-hot (and bothered) comedian Dave Chappelle talking on "Oprah" on Friday -- for the first time -- about walking away from a $50 million contract to do Season 3 of Comedy Central's immensely popular "Chappelle's Show." But apart from Chappelle's hurt feelings, which is a big deal, and his new belief that racial comedy as he practiced it on his show was "socially irresponsible" -- which is an even bigger deal -- Chappelle indicated that he wants to come back.
And that puts Herzog, who runs the channel, in an awkward spot. Look, Herzog is a pretty famous programmer in the TV industry. He helped turn around Comedy Central once before, then ran Fox for a while, then came back to preside over even better times at Comedy Central, so he's a decently powerful guy who, if you've talked with him a few times, is not going to roll over. He's not prickly so much as he believes in himself. And the whole mysterious, headline-grabbing Chappelle disappearance -- he left the show unexpectedly and ended up in South Africa on a kind of spiritual journey that set off an explosion of rumors -- was the kind of thing that made Comedy Central look bad and, by extension, fell to Herzog to fix.
Herzog's response turned from corporate cordial to, essentially, we're moving on. And Friday's Chappelle appearance on "Oprah" didn't cast Comedy Central in a great light. (It also made Chappelle seem entirely unsure of his feelings; Oprah didn't really press him too roughly, perhaps because she was exhausted from beating author James Frey to a pulp a few days earlier.) But Chappelle made it clear that it wasn't fun working on his show anymore and that the environment was bad, that Comedy Central lied about his condition to the press (first walking pneumonia, then writer's block, which really annoyed him) and that he wasn't getting enough love.
Chappelle opening up to Oprah was interesting television, part confused confessional, part emotional public revelation of his private demons.
This much we learned from Chappelle: He didn't go crazy, he wasn't on drugs, he's not paranoid. He just got stressed out. And not about the fame part -- at least not the adulation. No, he likes that. "It's the way people around you position themselves to get in your pockets and your mind," he said. "It's infuriating to me."
So, yes, in fact it was about the fame -- or certain parts of it. And yes it was about Comedy Central too, because Chappelle intimated that negotiations were tough and he was being pushed to do certain things and keep the money machine flowing (his DVDs have been, at one point, the best-selling DVDs based on a television series of all time). You got the sense watching Chappelle on "Oprah" that explaining his feelings wasn't easy, because they were complicated. He wanted more love, to be treated better, not just as a product. He had reached a level of fame where his world was very different. Had he lost his mind, Oprah asked? "No. Not exactly. I wasn't crazy. But it's incredibly stressful. ... Obviously I'm partly responsible. A lot of it has to do with me."
But then Chappelle got to the core of the issue: race. Even though Chappelle has brilliantly traded on racial jokes throughout his career, he began to believe that some in the primarily white audience weren't laughing with him, but at him. He began to think the n-word he dropped so frequently was getting the wrong reaction. (This was a theory we were told as far back as July, from a programming executive who knows Chappelle well. It was never about drugs or going crazy or even too much stress, the executive said, it was that Chappelle found himself in an ethical quandary.) On "Oprah," Chappelle said there was a sketch planned for the third season in which a pixie would appear when someone was thinking but not saying racist thoughts. Chappelle said he wanted the pixie to be in blackface to underscore the severity of the n-word, but the laugh he heard from a white crew member made him rethink his comedy.
"It was a sketch that was funny, but socially irresponsible," Chappelle said. The laugh made him realize that perhaps he wasn't paying attention to his ethics. "I know the difference between people laughing with me and people laughing at me," he said. In rethinking his comedy, Chappelle told Oprah that he "didn't want black people to be disappointed in me for putting that out there." Obviously, this is a huge issue. No wonder Chappelle found himself in a crisis. Much of his comedy is based on race. That's true for a lot of black comics, from the late Richard Pryor to Chris Rock. But Chappelle's humor is fearless in its approach to racism, it wallows in our unspoken national discomfort with it, deftly mining that which is unthinkable for belly laughs. If people are not getting the joke the way Chappelle intended, you can imagine he might have to rethink, well, everything.
And so the disappearance. Chappelle has said that since leaving, he flip-flops on going back to Comedy Central but has now definitively -- and for the first time -- said Friday that he wants to go back, provided he can create the proper work environment for his comedy and provided Comedy Central "restructures the deal" so that a portion of the profits made from "socially irresponsible" comedy ends up going to "socially responsible" causes.
True, he hadn't thought those plans out all the way, but it was clear Chappelle is truly conflicted about his comedy and, perhaps, is unable to change it. So, he said, "I want to give the money to someone who's not exploiting me."
Who knows how this will play out at Comedy Central. The channel took some lumps on Friday. Herzog is not a good lump taker. But that doesn't matter -- Chappelle is an extraordinarily great performer who also happens to be quite popular and makes the channel richer as he makes it better. He wants to go back. Comedy Central should do whatever it takes to get him back. Maybe there will be too many issues to overcome (Chappelle and Comedy Central make most of their money on the back end, meaning DVD sales, which Chappelle said he splits 50-50 with the channel. If a percentage goes to worthy causes and people who "are not exploiting me," it should be assumed that part of that percentage will be coming from Comedy Central's take as well.)
There's a window here. A time for resolution. Chappelle slyly indicated that if he came back, it would only be to finish the aborted third season. But who knows, he didn't exactly seem assured of anything. The important thing here for Herzog and Comedy Central is to act, and act fast.
You're on the clock. The people want Chappelle back, whether they get the joke or not.
Comments
The subtext in this interview was nuts; it was read-between-the-lines-theatre. Chapelle might have had some kind of nervous breakdown that he didn't recognize as such - I think that might be the core issue at this point - more than money or groupies or grubbers or power or even moral conflicts. Race is a factor, too, but I just think that the guy couldn't handle the compounded pressure of being an American entertainment mogul. There is NO shame in that, either.
Look: America has its focus on aggrandized notions of value-and-worth games in which assets are the means AND the end. I get bored, annoyed, and then plain scared of Sugar Smacks Livvin'. Why can't folks just quietly wake up, work, eat, fuck sometimes, and go to sleep? Increasingly, this is my thesis: It's upsetting to me to live in a country where success-for-the-sake-of-success has become far more important than A Good Name. To me, the money game is pointless when it eclipses the basic human necessities and a modicum of comfort. Chapelle - demons aside - has more of this basic, realistic view of life than most celebrities I've seen interviewed. This is why I root for him as a person.
I think that Chapelle also means something important to black Americans. There was an interesting portion of the interview in which the comedian recounted an incident in which he was told to wear a dress in a gag bit. Chapelle refused, and then told Oprah something along the lines of "whenever black comedians get successful, they want us to wear a dress." Chapelle was talking about the value of black dignity, which is powerful speech. I also think that he mirrors where African Americans stand in their country in 2005 - getting more successful, gaining more respect, but still not equal to whites and, understanding this, are rightfully upset. Whatever happens to David Chapelle, I hope he does well in life. I'd like to see more of his groundbreaking show, but not at the cost of his soul or personal well-being.
and to respond to whoever said chapelle seemed comfortable, i unfortunately have to disagree. dude didn't seem well to me at all, despite his showmanship and little humor bits. i hope he gets good though.
This statement puzzles me. It sounds like you're putting all of the blame for this on Chappelle's shoulders. I personally believe that Dave was doing what he does best. Then, Comedy Central and the string of companies above them put $50M in his pocket. Problem was, they never took their hands out! ::PAUSE:: So here's Dave with all of that "pressure" in the new season, that would drive a m*th*rf*ck*r crazy, no doubt.
How can you blame Dave for that?
There really is no right or wrong in this situation. Lots of people have walked away from the spotlight at their peak because they didn't like the shenanigans of the merchant class. Flip Wilson is a notable example. In his time he was big if not bigger than Dave is now and he just up and walked away from the whole business at the very height of his fame. Pearl Jam/Eddie Vedder melted down under the intense sun of instant celebrity. They have since regrouped to find their path while "not selling out" their values. If Dave is going stay in the business, he is going to have to pick his desired path and learn to handle the money guys. Oprah did it, Cosby did it and Jay-Z seems to be handling it. I see no reason that he can't but he is going to have to get out of his head and find a little of that hunger he had when he was struggling. Otherwise he is going to stay awfully confused about the nature of the beast.
that was me who thought chapelle seemed awfully comfortable talking about his demons. as a kid, i remember watching richard pryor being grilled on national teevee by barbara walters about his freebase accident and how it affected his career. haven't seen it in years, but pryor seemed introspective, contemplative, and not like he was "making show" for the cameras. and pryor was a man who knew how to laugh to keep from crying too.
compared to that, chapelle seemed to be mighty carefree the other morning. (i said "seemed to").
shit, i knew that wasn't going to come out right.
i think luck stated it as best as i ever could
some folks aren't meant for that level of stardom/responsibilty
some folks would agree to that contract, agree to comedy central/viacom's wishes and been paid out the ass while making mediocre comedy (eddie murphy?)
i think dave made a smart move
he has a farm
he has a famly
he realized he didn't need to go that route
but, based on what i've read and heard, he went kind of crazy making that decision
i think he put a lot of the pressure that he speaks about on himself
for example, when he says he came back to the offices and there was a wall where his office used to be...
um... i read that as he came into a lot of money, the offices were remodeled, and in his paranoid mindstate he freaked.
he admiitted he was paranoid.
he admitted he wasn't doing well.
so... please try to read through my ineloquence as "he created a lot of unnecessary stress for himself"
and most of all, i don't think a sane man leaves a continent without telling his wife and children about it
I think this points out the difference between how people percieve circumstance. It sounded like Chapelle at that point trusted ONE person completely, and that was his Brother. It sounds like perhaps his marriage(he made several oblique references to 'personal problems')was suffering as much as everything else as a result of the problems he was under. Not every marriage is 100% healthy all the time, and not every husband makes the right decision at crucial moments. I think he pointedly avoided getting into really 'personal things' like that. When Oprah pressed him even a little about any of this from his Wife's perspective ("You have to admit that sounds a bit crazy"), Chappelle repeated, "I BOUNCED", and kept moving on.
There where a lot of people supporting Dave, his partner, agent, publicist, and all the other people holding him up behind the scenes, he fucked a lot of people out of a lot of money that they helped Dave earn. If my "partner" bounced like that on me, I would have been like "fuck that guy" too. People around you will go crazy if you get 50 mill, especially if they have an agreed cut. They where working for that big break to. Agents dream is to have a client get that kind of money. 10% of 50 mill is a lot of money.
And he left without telling his wife and children?
That interview made me lose a lot of respect for the guy as a person.
Now his show is cult, unlike SNL where they've jumped the shark 20 yrs ago.
Leave the party @ it's peak.
hey, shit happens. we dont know what dude was going through honestly. Lets just see where he takes it from here.
Hatter.
The subtext in this interview was nuts; it was read-between-the-lines-theatre. Chapelle might have had some kind of nervous breakdown that he didn't recognize as such - I think that might be the core issue at this point - more than money or groupies or grubbers or power or even moral conflicts. Race is a factor, too, but I just think that the guy couldn't handle the compounded pressure of being an American entertainment mogul. There is NO shame in that, either.
Look: America has its focus on aggrandized notions of value-and-worth games in which assets are the means AND the end. I get bored, annoyed, and then plain scared of Sugar Smacks Livvin'. Why can't folks just quietly wake up, work, eat, fuck sometimes, and go to sleep? Increasingly, this is my thesis: It's upsetting to me to live in a country where success-for-the-sake-of-success has become far more important than A Good Name. To me, the money game is pointless when it eclipses the basic human necessities and a modicum of comfort. Chapelle - demons aside - has more of this basic, realistic view of life than most celebrities I've seen interviewed. This is why I root for him as a person.
I think that Chapelle also means something important to black Americans. There was an interesting portion of the interview in which the comedian recounted an incident in which he was told to wear a dress in a gag bit. Chapelle refused, and then told Oprah something along the lines of "whenever black comedians get successful, they want us to wear a dress." Chapelle was talking about the value of black dignity, which is powerful speech. I also think that he mirrors where African Americans stand in their country in 2005 - getting more successful, gaining more respect, but still not equal to whites and, understanding this, are rightfully upset. Whatever happens to David Chapelle, I hope he does well in life. I'd like to see more of his groundbreaking show, but not at the cost of his soul or personal well-being.
first...this is an incredibly eloquent observation. Much kudos to LUCK.
The thing that is most tragic to me is that Dave is obviously still suffering greatly from what was bothering him initially, and then caused him get up and go in the first place. It is so very sad that when Oprah asks him in essence "did you go crazy", that because of the society we live in, he cannot say "shit yeah i went crazy...wouldn't you have!!!!" Pressure can do many things to our state of mind, and EVERYBODY jumps the fuck out of their mind once or twice in their lives. Basically if he admits this, his career is over as he knew it, and nobody wants to completely tear down something they worked for just because of an admission. Why media and members of the viewing public would interpret this kind of admission as totally negative is beyond me, but they would and Dave knows this. I wish he had the freedom to just outright state that he was feeling totally collapsed and just wanted to leave all the bullshit behind.
I wanna say that everybody calling Dave crazy after seeing this is RLY crazy. Y'all ain't lost control of your situation at work before? He talked about how he's been losing an old friend because of the business. He said he went to work everyday and felt awful, had people laughin at him not with him. You ain't have someone try to make you wear-the-dress as a metaphor? That shit is real, dun. If you ain't been in a situation like this before than you lucky.
I like Dave cause he's tryna deal with real problems. I got real problems - owe a lot of money to banks I don't have, Real Schitt Money Problems. Fuck it. If I had cash to get to South Africa on the quickness? I'm the f- out. LATERZ.
Dave is dealing with some issues of identity, compromise and pressure. If you can't relate than you are not reachin from a sheltered life (yet), or you are just lucky.
http://www.hiphopmusic.com/best_of_youtube/2006/02/dave_chappelle_on_oprah.html
Here's the full interview.
Fame finally got to Dave Chappelle. Well, sort of. More like his conscience.
- Tim Goodman
Monday, February 6, 2006
Click to ViewClick to View
Doug Herzog, you're on the clock.
There was a lot to take away from red-hot (and bothered) comedian Dave Chappelle talking on "Oprah" on Friday -- for the first time -- about walking away from a $50 million contract to do Season 3 of Comedy Central's immensely popular "Chappelle's Show." But apart from Chappelle's hurt feelings, which is a big deal, and his new belief that racial comedy as he practiced it on his show was "socially irresponsible" -- which is an even bigger deal -- Chappelle indicated that he wants to come back.
And that puts Herzog, who runs the channel, in an awkward spot. Look, Herzog is a pretty famous programmer in the TV industry. He helped turn around Comedy Central once before, then ran Fox for a while, then came back to preside over even better times at Comedy Central, so he's a decently powerful guy who, if you've talked with him a few times, is not going to roll over. He's not prickly so much as he believes in himself. And the whole mysterious, headline-grabbing Chappelle disappearance -- he left the show unexpectedly and ended up in South Africa on a kind of spiritual journey that set off an explosion of rumors -- was the kind of thing that made Comedy Central look bad and, by extension, fell to Herzog to fix.
Herzog's response turned from corporate cordial to, essentially, we're moving on. And Friday's Chappelle appearance on "Oprah" didn't cast Comedy Central in a great light. (It also made Chappelle seem entirely unsure of his feelings; Oprah didn't really press him too roughly, perhaps because she was exhausted from beating author James Frey to a pulp a few days earlier.) But Chappelle made it clear that it wasn't fun working on his show anymore and that the environment was bad, that Comedy Central lied about his condition to the press (first walking pneumonia, then writer's block, which really annoyed him) and that he wasn't getting enough love.
Chappelle opening up to Oprah was interesting television, part confused confessional, part emotional public revelation of his private demons.
This much we learned from Chappelle: He didn't go crazy, he wasn't on drugs, he's not paranoid. He just got stressed out. And not about the fame part -- at least not the adulation. No, he likes that. "It's the way people around you position themselves to get in your pockets and your mind," he said. "It's infuriating to me."
So, yes, in fact it was about the fame -- or certain parts of it. And yes it was about Comedy Central too, because Chappelle intimated that negotiations were tough and he was being pushed to do certain things and keep the money machine flowing (his DVDs have been, at one point, the best-selling DVDs based on a television series of all time). You got the sense watching Chappelle on "Oprah" that explaining his feelings wasn't easy, because they were complicated. He wanted more love, to be treated better, not just as a product. He had reached a level of fame where his world was very different. Had he lost his mind, Oprah asked? "No. Not exactly. I wasn't crazy. But it's incredibly stressful. ... Obviously I'm partly responsible. A lot of it has to do with me."
But then Chappelle got to the core of the issue: race. Even though Chappelle has brilliantly traded on racial jokes throughout his career, he began to believe that some in the primarily white audience weren't laughing with him, but at him. He began to think the n-word he dropped so frequently was getting the wrong reaction. (This was a theory we were told as far back as July, from a programming executive who knows Chappelle well. It was never about drugs or going crazy or even too much stress, the executive said, it was that Chappelle found himself in an ethical quandary.) On "Oprah," Chappelle said there was a sketch planned for the third season in which a pixie would appear when someone was thinking but not saying racist thoughts. Chappelle said he wanted the pixie to be in blackface to underscore the severity of the n-word, but the laugh he heard from a white crew member made him rethink his comedy.
"It was a sketch that was funny, but socially irresponsible," Chappelle said. The laugh made him realize that perhaps he wasn't paying attention to his ethics. "I know the difference between people laughing with me and people laughing at me," he said. In rethinking his comedy, Chappelle told Oprah that he "didn't want black people to be disappointed in me for putting that out there." Obviously, this is a huge issue. No wonder Chappelle found himself in a crisis. Much of his comedy is based on race. That's true for a lot of black comics, from the late Richard Pryor to Chris Rock. But Chappelle's humor is fearless in its approach to racism, it wallows in our unspoken national discomfort with it, deftly mining that which is unthinkable for belly laughs. If people are not getting the joke the way Chappelle intended, you can imagine he might have to rethink, well, everything.
And so the disappearance. Chappelle has said that since leaving, he flip-flops on going back to Comedy Central but has now definitively -- and for the first time -- said Friday that he wants to go back, provided he can create the proper work environment for his comedy and provided Comedy Central "restructures the deal" so that a portion of the profits made from "socially irresponsible" comedy ends up going to "socially responsible" causes.
True, he hadn't thought those plans out all the way, but it was clear Chappelle is truly conflicted about his comedy and, perhaps, is unable to change it. So, he said, "I want to give the money to someone who's not exploiting me."
Who knows how this will play out at Comedy Central. The channel took some lumps on Friday. Herzog is not a good lump taker. But that doesn't matter -- Chappelle is an extraordinarily great performer who also happens to be quite popular and makes the channel richer as he makes it better. He wants to go back. Comedy Central should do whatever it takes to get him back. Maybe there will be too many issues to overcome (Chappelle and Comedy Central make most of their money on the back end, meaning DVD sales, which Chappelle said he splits 50-50 with the channel. If a percentage goes to worthy causes and people who "are not exploiting me," it should be assumed that part of that percentage will be coming from Comedy Central's take as well.)
There's a window here. A time for resolution. Chappelle slyly indicated that if he came back, it would only be to finish the aborted third season. But who knows, he didn't exactly seem assured of anything. The important thing here for Herzog and Comedy Central is to act, and act fast.
You're on the clock. The people want Chappelle back, whether they get the joke or not.