Chappelle's Show facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chappelle's Show |
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| Created by | Dave Chappelle Neal Brennan |
| Starring | Dave Chappelle Charlie Murphy Donnell Rawlings |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 28 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 16–26 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Pilot Boy Productions Marobru Productions Comedy Central Productions |
| Distributor | MTV Networks MGM Worldwide Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | Comedy Central |
| Original release | January 22, 2003 – July 23, 2006 |
Chappelle's Show was a popular American TV series that featured funny sketch comedy acts. It was created by comedians Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan. Dave Chappelle was the host and starred in most of the sketches. The show first aired on January 22, 2003, on the Comedy Central channel.
The series ran for two full seasons. A shorter third season, with only three episodes, aired in 2006. These episodes included sketches that hadn't been shown before. The show was very well-liked by critics. It often used comedy to explore different parts of life, like how people see each other, what it means to be a man, and how we look at famous people. TV Guide even put it on their list of "TV's Top 100 Shows."
Contents
How the Show Was Set Up
Each episode of Chappelle's Show began with Dave Chappelle being introduced. This happened while music from the song "Hip-Hop" by Dead Prez played. Chappelle would then perform a short stand-up comedy routine in front of a live audience.
After his stand-up, the show would switch to a pre-recorded comedy sketch. Sometimes, the show would end with a musical performance by a hip hop or soul artist.
Main Cast Members
The show featured many talented actors and comedians. Here are some of the main cast members:
- Dave Chappelle
- Anthony Berry
- Neal Brennan
- Rick Crom
- Bill Burr
- Brian Dykstra
- Drake Hill
- Sophina Brown
- William Bogert
- Yoshio Mita
- Paul Mooney
- Charlie Murphy
- Randy Pearlstein
- Robert Petkoff
- Nick Wyman
- Donnell Rawlings
- Mos Def
- Max Herman
- Allen Levy
- Guillermo Díaz
- Drago Ruschinsky
- Amanda Rowan
Special Guest Stars
Many famous people appeared on Chappelle's Show. Some were actors, and others were musicians.
Notable guest stars included:
- Guillermo Díaz
- Jim Breuer
- Snoop Dogg
- RZA
- GZA
- Method Man
- Rick James
- Damon Dash
- Redman
- Ice-T
- Arsenio Hall
- Wayne Brady
- Eddie Griffin
- Susan Sarandon
- Q-Tip
- Rashida Jones
- Jamie Foxx
- Carson Daly
- Ron Jeremy
- Bill Burr
- Patrice O’Neal
- Rich Vos
- Spike Lee
- Michael Rapaport
- Joe Rogan
Musical guests who performed on the show included:
- De La Soul
- Ludacris
- Robert Petkoff
- Talib Kweli
- Fat Joe
- Wyclef Jean
- Killer Mike
- Big Boi of OutKast
- Anthony Hamilton
- Kanye West
- Common
- DMX
- Busta Rhymes
- Slum Village
- John Mayer
- Questlove
- Cee-Lo Green
- Vida Guerra
- Erykah Badu
- Lil Jon
Funny Recurring Characters
Chappelle's Show had several memorable characters who appeared in different sketches:
- Negrodamus – Played by Paul Mooney, this character was a prophet and fortune teller. He would answer questions from people, often in a very funny way.
- "Silky" Johnson – Played by Chappelle, Silky Johnson was known as a "player hater." He even won an award for it!
- Chuck Taylor – Also played by Chappelle, Chuck Taylor was a news anchor on a made-up news show called "News 3." Chappelle wore white makeup and a blonde wig for this role.
- Leonard Washington – Another character played by Chappelle. He first appeared in a sketch called "Trading Spouses." He was known for looking out windows when he entered new rooms, as if checking to see if he was being followed.
- Ashy Larry – Played by Donnell Rawlings, Ashy Larry was a man who always had dry, flaky skin and chapped lips. He was usually seen wearing white boxer shorts.
- Robot Dancing Man – Set designer Karl Lake would do the robot dance in unexpected places, like a barbershop or a courtroom. People in the sketches usually didn't react to him, even though his dancing was out of place.
Episodes Overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 12 | January 22, 2003 | April 9, 2003 | |
| 2 | 13 | January 21, 2004 | April 14, 2004 | |
| 3 | 3 | July 9, 2006 | July 23, 2006 | |
In total, 28 episodes of Chappelle's Show were made between 2003 and 2006. There was also a special called "Music Jump-Off" and four compilation episodes.
Where to Watch the Show
On TV
Reruns of Chappelle's Show have often been shown on Comedy Central and VH1 in the United States. The series also aired in other countries, including Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. It was also shown on WGN America and other local TV stations.
Online Streaming
You can stream Chappelle's Show on the Comedy Central app and website. It is also available on Paramount+, Netflix, and HBO Max. You can also borrow it digitally for free from some public libraries in the U.S. through Hoopla.
For a short time, the show was removed from Netflix and HBO Max. This happened after Dave Chappelle talked about not getting paid enough for the show. However, in February 2021, Chappelle announced that he had made a new agreement, and the show returned to these services.
DVDs and More
The DVD sets for the first two seasons of Chappelle's Show sold extremely well. The first season DVD was one of the best-selling TV series sets of all time.
A special episode called "Music Jump-Off," which showed Chappelle visiting his old high school, was not included in the main DVD sets.
In 2005, the first half of season one was released on UMD. Later, in 2006, both uncensored seasons were made available for purchase on iTunes.
In 2007, Comedy Central released a "Best of Chappelle's Show" DVD. This DVD featured 25 of the most popular sketches from all seasons. A box set with all three seasons, including "The Lost Episodes," was also released in 2007.
