Dave Chappelle solidified himself as a comedic genius during his stint as the creator of “Chappelle’s Show.” But after he was given a $50 million contract extension by Comedy Central in 2004, Chappelle took a hiatus from show business and only performed stand-up comedy occasionally at small bars and clubs across the country.
Chappelle’s sad fall from grace continued at Alonzo Mourning’s “Zo’s Summer Groove” charity comedy night. Although he was scheduled to perform a one-hour routine, Chappelle appeared unprepared and became distracted after he noticed audience members filming him with cell phones.
CNN analyst Roland Martin was at the event and tweeted live from the show,”He’s complained about folks videotaping his set, yelling out loud. I don’t get it. He’s just staring at the crowd and sighing.”
Apparently, Chappelle’s 45-minute set was so bad that the crowd began to heckle and boo him. DJ Irie began playing music so that the comedian would leave the stage and later called the set “the longest hour of my life.”
Actress Gabriel Union defended Chappelle by tweeting, “For the idiots who heckled Dave Chappelle, no one paid to see you. Way to ruin it for everyone else!”
The entertainment industry can be an unforgiving business. At times, stages that are used to entertain can be nearly as vicious as the ones once used for public lynchings.
Will Chappelle be able to make a return to comedy, or have his glory days become a distant memory? –amir shaw
