Dave Chappelle

Dave Chappelle is a very successful stand-up comic who is also a well-known example of the perils of being a comedian who ends up defined by one part of their body of work. Although he got his start doing stand-up and continued to practice it during the run of his sketch comedy show on Comedy Central, Chappelle's show tended to overshadow his work on stage and Dave became more widely known for bits on the show like his Rick James sketch/catchphrase.

Stylistically, Chappelle delivers a routine in stark contrast to the high-strung angry-seeming manner of most famous social critics. "Unprofessional" would seem like a good way to describe it, with Chappelle lurching around the stage frequently sitting down and laughing with himself while talking in a casual conversational manner.

Chappelle has also garnered controversy with his heavy use of the word "nigger" compared to pretty much every other contemporary comic. This is strong contrast to one of his biggest influences, Richard Pryor, who himself used the word even in a show title before taking a strong stance against its use and purposefully avoiding it. Chappelle uses the word satirically in numerous bits, including a bit about the hypothetical meeting where it was decided on and a chappelle show sketch about a blind black man who becomes an influential leader of white supremacists. Chappelle has described his use of the word as "an act of freedom" during an NBC interview but stated he would feel "furious" if he saw a white comic using it.

Chappelle's Show

In a June 2004 stand-up performance in Sacramento, California, Chappelle walked off the stage after berating his audience for constantly shouting "I'm Rick James, bitch!," which became a catchphrase from the popular "Rick James" sketch. After a few minutes, Chappelle returned and continued by saying, "The show is ruining my life." He stated that he disliked working "20 hours a day" and that the popularity of the show was making it difficult for him to continue his stand-up career, which was "the most important thing" to him. He also told the audience:

"You know why my show is good? Because the network officials say you're not smart enough to get what I'm doing, and every day I fight for you. I tell them how smart you are. Turns out, I was wrong. You people are stupid."

Season 3 was scheduled to air on May 31, 2005, but Dave left abruptly during production of season 3 and took a trip to South Africa. Chappelle has since stated that he was unhappy with the direction the show had taken. He told TIME Johannesburg bureau chief Simon Robinson:

"Coming here I don't have the distractions of fame. It quiets the ego down. I'm interested in the kind of person I've got to become. I want to be well rounded and the industry is a place of extremes. I want to be well balanced. I've got to check my intentions, man."

Chappelle continued to do stand-up through the whole run of Chappelle show. He has not ruled out entirely returning to Chappelle's show, but as of now continues to focus on his stand-up act.