Dave Chappelle

Background

Dave Chappelle is loved worldwide by millions of fans for his unique satirical comedy and strong personality. He is a firm believer in his talent and his ideals. At some point, Chappelle walked away from a $50 million contract because he felt his creativity was being stifled. This was a difficult time in his life, but he survived and he jumped back to his feet. Dave Chappelle was born to Yvonne Seon Reed and William David Chapelle III, who are both university professors. Although his ethnicity is predominantly African American, his mother is partly-white.

He started pursuing his comedy career right from high school. After completing his education, he moved to New York and started doing stand-up comedy in the Boston Comedy Club in Greenwich Village. His talent helped him build a strong reputation, and within a few months, he was performing in comedy clubs all over the city. His breakthrough moment came in his first year in New York when he performed at the Montreal Comedy Festival and left a powerful impression on the audience’s minds.

His resolve was tested when he was booed off the stage at the Apollo in Harlem. He soon bounced back from that and started to take television roles. He appeared in HBO’s Def Comedy Jam in 1992 and played Reggie Warrington in Eddie Murphy’s “The Nutty Professor” in 1996. Racism is a favorite topic for Chappelle’s comedy, but he also works with other topics. In 2016, he landed a $20 million contract with Netflix and this has helped to put him back in the spotlight.

He married Elaine Mendoza, a Filipino, in 2001, and they have three children. Chappelle once made a joke about his children’s ethnicity and called them Puerto Ricans.