I love Dave Chappelle, I think he’s probably one of the funniest people on the planet, and he created something so special with The Chappelle Show. We’re more than a decade removed from Chappelle Show and not a week goes by without someone making some kind of reference to one of those skits. All you have to say is “I’m Rick James…” and someone will say, “…bitch!” All you have to say is “game, blouses,” and I’m giggling to myself. That being said, Chappelle isn’t perfect. I’m still trying to get my head around Chappelle’s ridiculous political thoughts before the election. And I’m sort of trying to get my head around some of the stuff he says in a new, exclusive interview with Gayle King at CBS This Morning. Here’s the video:
The whole interview is interesting and I appreciate that Gayle King was given such a lengthy segment to interview Chappelle about many different aspects of his life. Around the 7:30-mark of the video, King asks Chappelle about Key & Peele, the absolutely brilliant skit show on Comedy Central for five years, a show created by the brilliant Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael Key. King starts off by saying, “I think there was a speculation that Dave doesn’t like Key & Peele…” and Chappelle says, “No, I’m a fan of their show…” and then goes on:
“You know, when I did ‘Chappelle Show’, there were certain conventions of the show that the network resisted. I fought the network very hard so that those conventions could come to fruition. So like the first episode, I do that black white supremacist sketch. And it’s like, ‘Well, that’s 10 minutes long. It should be five minutes long.’ Why should it be five minutes long? Like, these types of conventions. I fought very hard … So when I watch Key & Peele and I see they’re doing a format that I created, and at the end of the show, it says, ‘Created by Key & Peele,’ that hurts my feelings.”
Sigh… I mean, I get it. Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael Key owe a debt of gratitude to Chappelle for breaking ground on a cable show based on an African-American comedian doing skits. But I feel like Chappelle is coming awfully close to saying that Key & Peele are, like, the poor man’s version of Chappelle Show. And that’s just not the case. Key & Peele was a brilliant show with brilliant writing. So was Chappelle Show. The two shows covered similar ground, but Jesus Christ, the Key & Peele show was SO GOOD. Incidentally, Chappelle Show was just like a one-man version of In Living Color (so thanks, Wayans Brothers!).
Also: every black comedian working today owes a debt to Richard Pryor, Redd Fox, Eddie Murphy and (yeah, I’ll say it) Bill Cosby. Do we expect every Chris Rock performance to come with a note that says “thanks to Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy”?
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I’ve never watched either of those shows though of course I’ve heard of them. But it’s a true statement that A LOT of people in the entertainment industry have broken ground & paved the way in one capacity or another inspiring others to do what they do now. So does it stand to reason that they should ALL be mentioned & credited ALL of the time? Of course not, & it’s ludicrous of him to suggest that
I have no clue who KeY and Peele are, but I LOVE Dave Chapelle.
I wish he would come back…..I miss his RICK JAMES!
Not to mention: the format of the sketch comedy show has been in place for many, many years. Did Dave thank, like, Monty Python and the Goon Show when he was “doing the format” they “created?” Of course not. Get off it.
I really like Key and Peele in every way, like their show, like what they’ve shown of themselves in interviews and in their other work.
Dave Chapelle, I don’t like so much, though it’s easy to see why he’s considered to be among the greats. I don’t like his homophobia and misogyny.
I will say this for him, he keeps his bigoted views pretty under wraps in his sketches. I appreciate that. But it’s a shame he so keenly understands what it’s like to be discriminated against as a black man but can’t pay it forward. Not uncommon (I’m Latina, and we have a lot of classism and racism issues in our community.)
Yes, because he keeps it under wraps in some ways, I at first thought it was part of a prank when he said homophobic and misogyne things. I still don’t get it, he seems like someone with a coherent world view.
Wilma- just came to upvote your comments. I see his face and I think “Damn it- I WANT to like you….but I know too much.” He’s funny as hell and talented but he’s also a disappointment. I watch his old skits, laugh and then shake my head.
I don’t think he was taking about them owing due to him breaking down doors for AA comedians, I really think it’s more the format.
He feels that he changed the way sketches were filmed (in terms of length) and Key & Peele were using that same format be pioneered.
But yaaaaaaas I loved the Dave Chappell show and Key & Peel.
“Tupac’s alive!”
“Brenda! You forgot your jacket!”
I agree: it’s the format he has issue with, as petty as that may be. The comment about “every black comedian” owing something to Richard Pryor and Cosby was weird to me.
You don’t get to copyright a format and regardless, the format is meaningless if the content is no good. It’s ridiculous for him to want to claim credit for Key & Peele’s creation. If he was saying that he’d like them to acknowledge him, then fine. But to want to claim a “created by” credit? No, that’s just insulting.
I don’t really understand what his point is regarding the format. Was that a totally new thing for American skit shows? Because a lot of my favourite UK and Australian skit shows are older than his and many of them regularly did skits with very varied time lengths. Some are 10 minutes, some are 10 seconds etc.
Yes, most of our Dutch collectively favorite shows are exactly in this format. I think one of the first (and best, Kooten en De Bie) started in the seventies. And Monty Python did a lot of varied lengths of skits.
If his issue is the format, didn’t Carol Burnett cover that ground way before him?
SNL has had that format for decades too. I don’t know, it just seems disappointing to see people dragging on Key & Peele after the success of their show, Keanu and now Get Out. Damn stop being butt hurt about stuff and stand up and clap for them. Sheesh! They’re funny as hell!
I think his comment was in poor taste.
He said nothing of the sort, like at all. He wasn’t going after their material nor was he hinting at what you are suggesting. It read like he was going after Comedy Central than Key and Peele. He has always had an issue with Comedy Central and it makes sense that he would have trouble watching someone else benefit from something that he started and did not get credit for from Comedy Central. It doesn’t take away from Key and Peele’s success as they put in the time and effort on their show for several seasons.
Also, the only thing that In Living Color had in common with Dave Chappelle was that it was created by black men, that is it. In Living Color was never deep and they never wanted or tried to be. Dave mixed politics and sophomoric humor and that worked for him. I wish he had leaned more into the political stuff, but that is just me.
In Living Color DID tackle race and racial privillege. I’ll never forget Jim Carrey playing Vanilla Ice and Snow (of Informer fame) to satirise cultural appropriation because as a 16 year old black girl it put into words a grievance that I felt deeply but didnt know how to express. The political may not have loomed as large as it did in Chapelle Show but it was definitely there.
Can we also talk about the Chris Rock show. The sketches on that show were the true precussor to Chapelle Show. The only visible difference was that Chris also had guests on that show and even so, his guests were usually political figures or celebrities with strong political opinion not just the latest IT star looking to sell his new sitcom. That was also the show that gave Wanda Sykes and Louis CK their big start in writing. Like In Living Color it was prematurely cancelled but was a true pioneer.
That said I absolutely adored Chapelle Show and it did take keeping it real to the next level. (Shout out to his Keeping It Real sketches that to this day still destroy me.)
Love Dave Chapelle, I think his comedy his genius and thought provoking, similarities to Richard Pryor.
I have never liked Chris Rock’s comedy, I find him just angry , his delivery one note, no nuance . but I worked with Chris Rock once ,ages ago so it probably clouds my judgement. Chris Rick was a A-1 Jerk to the women hired for the show that week, when I worked with him. I think Chris Rock is a nasty person off camera. I don’t like him.
@lavnbb i don’t think it’s just your personal experience. I have never found Chris Rock funny, either. To me he most of his stuff is just squawking and hoping to get a laugh because he is saying it in a squawking voice… someone dragged me to see Top Five when it came out and it was the most throwback homophobic, misogynist movie that I could hardly believe it was made in 2014.
Lol, you don’t have to like Rock or his humor to acknowledge that his sketch show paved the way for Dave. I mean Chappelle himself has acknowledged Chris publicly as his mentor and they are known to crash standup comedy clubs together and just cheer each other ripping the stage for hours. I enjoyed Top Five although I do agree it had some woman issues. The truth though is that most comedy whether it comes from the mind of Seth Rogen or Ben Stiller or whoever has very one dimensional take on women.
I’ve never watched more than a few minutes of Chapelle – but my god I know so many quotes because my husband is constantly quoting it. It’s one of those things I always intent to watch, but just never got around to. The whole feet on the couch thing is honestly hilarious.
Chappelle did break a TON of ground for people, and I know he had to fight for it – and in theory I guess I get why he’s upset by it. But at the same time – he kind of dropped off the face of the earth for a while there – it didn’t seem like he wanted to be in the spotlight at all. Honestly – if Key and Peele could have had him on the show for a sketch – that’d have been amazing. But at the end of the day – they don’t OWE it to him to give literal credit – though it could have been nice.
I don’t think he’s actually insulting Key and Peele at all so much as taking a shot at the networks who made it THAT much harder for a black man with his kind of talent and social acumen to achieve what he wanted. Ideally, we’re happy when people are able to benefit from our work, but I think it’s more human and honest to admit that it frustrates to be thwarted where your own ambitions are concerned while others get to capitalize on the groundwork you laid.
You’re probably right that that’s where he’s coming from, but what he actually says is “So when I watch Key & Peele and I see they’re doing a format that I created, and at the end of the show, it says, ‘Created by Key & Peele,’ that hurts my feelings,” like he wants it to say “Created by Key & Peele & Dave Chappelle” or just “Created by Dave Chappelle,” which is utterly unwarranted.
Ugh I am always amazed how show business can make super popular, super succesful people bitter.
Chappelle also forgets that his break (for which i respect him a lot, most would have cared more about the money) created a legend for his show. It would have never had the same reputation if it fizzled out like basically every other show.
Well I am in the minority I didn’t like his show.I don’t like his stand up act.Well the clips I’ve seen, I have never watched an entire episode because I have never found him to be funny.
I think Chappelle is full of crap. Nobody owns a format. I don’t think they Key and Peele are ever obligated to say anything about him if they don’t want to.
I’m not sure Dave ever fully recovered from his *breakdown*. He seems a little off.
I just watched both of his new Netflix specials and, boy, some people are going to be Very Mad Online about the things he says.
“Sigh… I mean, I get it. Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael Key owe a debt of gratitude to Chappelle for breaking ground on a cable show based on an African-American comedian doing skits.” you don’t get it at all, actually.,
” that’s 10 minutes long. It should be five minutes long.’ Why should it be five minutes long? Like, these types of conventions. I fought very hard … So when I watch Key & Peele and I see they’re doing a format that I created, “
I find dave chappells whining and constant distain of his audiences completely tiresome. He literally never stops complaining, or taking his toys and going home, or bitching about being misread. such a giant chip on his shoulder.
i don’t understand what he is saying. DC did not create K&P so why is he asking for credit in creating the show? he mentions one tiny aspect he fought for (longer skits) he did not himself create or invent.
Exactly. Dude’s way off-base.
Love Key & Peele, and Dave Chapelle. There were many similarities in both shows. However, Dave chose to leave his show at the height of its popularity. At first, when Key & Peele came along, I saw the show as a “substitute” for Chapelle Show. But in time, they created their own “lane”, and soared. I don’t feel that they owe “thanks”, or even a little bit of their new found stardom to Dave Chapelle, or any of the comedy greats . Maybe you threw a “childish tantrum”, and left the building a little too soon Dave. Love ya’ and congrats on coming back to us……..I really missed you.
They all deserve immense respect. I understand the way he feels, and I kind of gather that he doesn’t actually mean they should have credited him – it probably just bites. I’m sure they have such a high level of respect, love and admiration for him.
CHIP NO!!!
Chappelle takes himself way too seriously and over-estimates his impact. He’s talented, but by his own choice, he exited the stage. Nobody who filled the void in his absence owes him anything. Certainly not Key & Peele who are talented and hard-working and funny whether or not they’re on Comedy Central and with or without the existence of Dave Chappelle.
He’s right.
About everything.
Sorry not sorry.
I love BOTH DC and K&P. I think what Dave is referencing are the stand-up intro set-ups to their skits. Although, Dave isn’t the first to do this either….Seinfeld anyone?
I do think he is speaking more about his struggle to get non-PC skits aired (as evidenced by his DVD that included many skits that they didn’t/couldn’t show) than the actual format of the show. I’m all in for giving credit where it is due, but did he want an award from K&P? Clearly they worked just as hard, because their show was awesome. Perhaps they didn’t have to go through the “red tape”, but I’m sure they admire DC just the same…..