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 As Dave Chappelle walked away from a $50 million dollar contract, an insanely popular TV series, and an extremely successful DVD box set, tons of his fans were left wondering, “Has this guy lost his mind?”And I must admit, I was one of them. While it may seem like something no one in their right mind would do, comedian Dave Chappelle is nowhere near crazy. In what appeared to be one of the boldest moves in show business, Chappelle walked away from a two year multi-million dollar contract with Viacom- the parent company of Comedy Central, and the opportunity to continue production on his hit sketch comedy show Chappelle’s Show. As a result, his decision not only sparked questions of mental illness and drug addiction, but also shed new light on the shady side of the entertainment business.
For Chappelle, success never seemed to be out of reach. He first began comedy at the early age of fourteen making his first TV appearance just a few years later on Def Comedy Jam in 1992. Since then, he has not only starred in the cult hit Half Baked, but has also gone on to appear in a number of other films including Robin Hood: Men in Tights, The Nutty Professor, and Undercover Brother. In 2000, Chappelle continued to draw audiences with his very own stand-up special on HBO entitled Killing Them Softly. It wasn’t until 2003 that Chappelle soared to a whole new level of TV stardom when his show Chappelle’s Show debuted on Comedy Central to rave reviews.
And what a hit it became. Chappelle’s Show had fans in hysterics over its sketches. The show pushed the boundaries of political and social commentary with its frequent racially-infused satires. Chappelle’s direct and hilarious insight provided audiences with a fresh, in-your-face viewpoint and commentary on popular culture. One of Chappelle’s most memorable and widely-known skits was his portrayal of Rick James during his drug abusing years fueling the infamous “I’m Rick James Bitch!” exclamation. Other fan-favourite skits included “Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories” involving the comedian’s past “interactions” with various celebrities, and “Ask a black dude” with comedian Paul Mooney, a sort of “Jay-walking” style piece where he answers questions asked by random people on the street. Not only did Chappelle recruit a number of other comedians to add to the side-splitting material of the show, but included the likes of actors like Wayne Brady, and hip hop artists like Mos Def, Common, and Kanye West.
Chappelle Show prospered for two highly successful seasons and by the end of season two, was one of the highest rated shows on basic cable, and the second most popular show on Comedy Central after South Park. The DVD release of the first season of Chappelle’s Show was also the best selling DVD of a TV show to date. There was no doubt that audiences everywhere were lapping up all of Chappelle’s crazy  antics.
Despite the success of the show, trouble started brewing when Chappelle suddenly disappeared during the production of the third season of Chappelle’s Show in early 2005, putting the show on indefinite hiatus later that year. Initially, no one knew where he had gone, but word soon spread that Chappelle had fled to South Africa. Rumors of mental illness and drug addiction soon followed as his fans, friends, family, and colleagues attempted to make sense of the reason for his disappearance.
In February 2006, Chappelle made his first televised appearance since he left Chappelle’s Show on Oprah, where he cleared up all questions surrounding his decision to walk away from his deal with Comedy Central. On Oprah, he revealed that his decision to leave the show was based on the fact that he was unhappy with its direction and felt pressured by the network executives, regarding the show’s content. While he realized it did seem a bit extreme to walk away from the money, he was primarily concerned with the overly stressful work environment caused by the pressure placed on him to make money- all, so that various people could put their hands in his pockets. As a result, he sought refuge in South Africa as a place to slow down, relax, and reflect. Chappelle laughed at allegations of going to South Africa to seek medical attention and adamantly opposed the idea that he had a drug problem. During his two week stay in Africa, Chappelle was able to make sense of a lot of the personal questions and conflicts he was dealing with and returned to the US with a new outlook on his career.
As of right now, Chappelle is unsure as to whether he will return to Chappelle’s Show to finish season three- a decision that ultimately leaves the show’s fans in limbo. While he has expressed an interest in returning to the show, he has said that he would only consider doing so under a better working environment. In addition, he has also invested an interest in giving back to the community and would like to see forthcoming DVD sales donated to charity. As for the portion of season three that he was a part of, Comedy Central has said they will release the un-aired sketches into four half-hour episodes by mid 2006.
Putting the drama behind him, Dave Chappelle has since moved on to work on another big project that he is personally excited about. Chappelle has written and is featured in a new film directed by  Michael Gondry of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind fame, entitled Block Party. Block Party chronicles a surprise neighbourhood event that Chappelle not only hosts, but is involved with from its inception right through to its final stages. Taking place in the neighbourhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn New York, the movie is filmed documentary-style combining both comedy and music. Chappelle enlists many music heavyweights to perform in a once in a lifetime concert. Artists include Kanye West, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Dead Prez, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, The Roots, Cody ChesnuTT, and Big Daddy Kane with the main highlight of the event being the much anticipated reunion of 90s rap group The Fugees. Along with illustrating the process involved in throwing together the concert, the film also follows Chapelle around as he returns to his current hometown of Ohio. In Ohio, Chapelle distributes “golden tickets”, tickets that not only act as official invitations to the block party itself, but also provide free transportation and lodging for its holders.
Block Party not only offers audiences a backstage look at private rehearsals and artist commentary but also illustrates how music and humour can unite people and transcend turbulent times. Most importantly though, the film showcases the hilarious Dave Chappelle that we all know, love, and desperately miss, dispelling all previous allegations, and putting long and overdue rumours surrounding his sanity to rest. Block Party debuted at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival and opens in select theatres on March 3, 2006.
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