Today, comedy fans all over social media rejoiced after it was announced that David Chappelle‘s mid-aughts Comedy Central sketch classic, Chappelle’s Show, will start streaming on Netflix this weekend.
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While Chappelle has premiered several successful comedy specials on the streaming service over the years, thanks to iconic moments and characters like Tyrone Biggums and the late Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories the series which spanned 28 episodes has been widely considered a high point of his career.
In 2005, the comedian left the Chapelle’s Show, his widely popular series on Comedy Central before its third season despite a $50M offer. The then 31-year-old told Time he made the decision to quit due to a loose definition of creative differences, though he had, according to the article, complete creative control.
“My personal feeling is I didn’t like the direction of the show. I was trying to explain it to people, and no one was feeling me. There’s a lot of resistance to my opinions, so I decided, Let me remove myself from this situation. You hear so many voices jockeying for position in your mind that you want to make sure that you hear your own voice. So I figured, Let me just cut myself off from everybody, take a minute and pull a Flintstone—stop a speeding car by using my bare feet as the brakes,” he said.
Since then, Chappelle has addressed the career-defining moment, telling CBS News‘ Gayle King, “Chappelle’s Show’s’ like breakin’ up with a girl and you still like her. But in your mind, you’re like, ‘That b— is crazy. I’m not goin’ back,'” he said during a 2017 interview.
Ast theGrio previously reported, last month the prolific comedian shared how late music legend Prince was one of the few people who supported his stunning decision to walk away from his sketch comedy show at the height of its popularity. Chappelle says he was one of the few people who sincerely had his back despite speculation about his mental health and confusion from fans who felt abandoned by one of their favorite entertainers.
“When I left Chappelle’s Show, not only was Prince the only person I could relate to, he was one of the few people who truly cared about what was happening in my life,” Chappelle writes in the liner notes to Prince‘s “Sign O’ The Times” super deluxe edition which came out on Sept. 25.
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“The mere sight of Prince reminded me that I’m not the last sane man on earth, and I’m not crazy.”
Watch the famous Chappelle’s Show Prince skit with Chappelle and Charlie Murphy below:
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