Some say drugs, insanity, workload.... but what was it specifically?
2006-07-21 17:17:43 · 12 answers · asked by nononsense 2 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Celebrities
Dave Chappelle told Oprah Winfrey he was stressed out and not crazy or on drugs when he abruptly left his hit Comedy Central show last spring during production.
In his first television interview since ditching "Chappelle's Show" in May, the comedian said that after he signed a $50 million deal for the third and fourth seasons in August 2004, too many people were trying to control him and his show.
"I wasn't crazy but it is incredibly stressful," Chappelle, 32, said during his appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that aired Friday.
"I felt in a lot of instances I was deliberately being put through stress because when you're a guy who generates money, people have a vested interested in controlling you," Chappelle said.
Last May, with the premiere date looming for the third season, Chappelle stunned his fans and the entertainment industry by leaving the show in mid-production. He spent two weeks in South Africa before returning home to his farm near Yellow Springs, Ohio, about 75 miles northeast of Cincinnati. Chappelle has since resumed performing live standup.
The provocative comedian denied reports that his mysterious departure was caused by mental or drug problems. But he told Winfrey that other people were trying to get him to take psychotic medication when he decided to leave the show and country, without telling anyone except his brother before he left.
Chappelle stressed that the fame that grew as his show became increasingly popular wasn't the problem, but the environment he faced at work.
"I would go to work on the show and I felt awful every day, that's not the way it was" he said. "I felt like some kind of prostitute or something. If I feel so bad, why keep on showing up to this place? I'm going to Africa. The hardest thing to do is to be true to yourself, especially when everybody is watching."
2006-07-21 17:19:02 · answer #1 · answered by thematrixhazu36 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He was on Oprah and he said that he basically had a nervous breakdown. He couldn't handle the workload, the pressure, and the execs at Comedy Central anymore.
2006-07-22 00:23:28 · answer #2 · answered by Sarrah 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I don't think anyone can answer that other than Dave... and he has implied that he was very upset when the terms of his contract at Comedy Central were revealed to the public by management. It was a very large contract, and it seems that though he would be happy to have all that money, he didn't want to have people see him differently and treat him differently. To me he seems sincere. He seems to want to make us smile rather than make a lot of money. (But wadda I know?)
2006-07-22 00:23:37 · answer #3 · answered by EdmondDoc 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hey, Dave said on Oprah and I quote "What's a black man without his paranoia?" Think about it!
People how come when people ask a simple question, they get a whole monologue half true, and half not.(thematrixhazu36)
2006-07-22 00:37:40 · answer #4 · answered by babygirl 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
He will not actually say why other than he didn't like the direction the show was going. He insists that it was not drugs or a mental breakdown.
2006-07-22 00:19:44 · answer #5 · answered by Blunt Honesty 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Go to chapelletheory.com
It tells the complete story of Chapelles breakdown, the dark crusader conspiracy, and why David was not paranoid, people truly were trying to kill him
2006-07-22 00:21:10 · answer #6 · answered by johnnycam 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
i'll give you $ 55 million reasons why he left get the hint
2006-07-22 00:29:38 · answer #7 · answered by starprincess292003 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Cos he be losin it y'all gwand
2006-07-22 00:21:01 · answer #8 · answered by Chenier 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
$55 million BEOTCH!
2006-07-22 00:20:00 · answer #9 · answered by therego2 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
nobody can say for sure but him. im just really sad about it cuz i love him
2006-07-22 00:20:14 · answer #10 · answered by Sandra K 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋