Chappelle’s show has returned to Netflix after being dragged at Dave Chappelle’s request late last year, The Hollywood Reporter notes. Shortly before his removal, Chappelle posted a long video claiming he was “never paid” after leaving the Comedy Central show and saying he was “angry” that it was coming to Netflix. Yesterday (February 11), Chappelle and Netflix released a new video announcing the show’s return to service. Chappelle says Comedy Central agreed to return his license and pay him “millions of dollars”. Check out the 10 minute clip below that was captured during a recent stand-up show.
Chappelle tells the crowd, “I asked you not to see the show anymore and thank God Almighty for you. You made this show worthless because without your eyes it’s nothing. And when you stopped looking at it, they called me. And I got my name back and I got my license back and I got my show back and they paid me millions of dollars. Many Thanks.”
He thanks the owners of Netflix and Comedy Central, ViacomCBS, before concluding, “After all these years, I can finally say to Comedy Central, ‘It’s been a pleasure doing business with you. ‘“He also explains his coronavirus diagnosis and the Capitol riots in the clip.
Chappelle originally left the show in 2005 and retired from public life disappointed with the television industry. The video marks the settlement of a 15 year old dispute. Chris McCarthy, President of MTV Entertainment Group at ViacomCBS, which owns Comedy Central, wrote in a statement: “Dave Chappelle is one of the greatest comedians of our time and a defining voice for the Comedy Central brand. After talking to Dave, I’m glad we got it right. “
After Netflix removed the show in November, HBO followed suit. Casey Bloys, the chief content officer of HBO and HBO Max, told Variety at the time, “We had a conversation with Dave. I won’t go into that, but it’s very clear that it’s a very unique, specific, and emotional problem that he has. “A source close to the situation tells Pitchfork that Chappelle’s show will be returning to HBO Max.
