(And that doesn’t even include what he brought in co-headlining shows in 2023 with Chris Rock.) In fact, it may just have proved to be rocket fuel for it, as evidenced by the fact that in 2023, he was the top-grossing comedian of the year, earning $62 million for 31 ticketed shows in 2023. And that includes his most recent standup show on Netflix.īut courting controversy hasn’t seemed to hurt Chapelle’s career. In the case of Chappelle however, I doubt that was his rationale for being one of the first comedians to require audience members to lock their cell phones away during his shows. Chappelle’s history tells us he seems to love to court controversy, from his past Saturday Night Live monologues about Kanye West’s anti-Semitic remarks and on Donald Trump’s then-new presidency to jokes about the transgender community in his 2021 stand-up special that prompted a backlash.Įven if audience members aren’t recording his act, Chappelle knows his jokes and comments will get press, given his stature and his penchant for telling provocative jokes that sometimes upset people. As Rock explained, in the past a comedian could “cross the line” trying to find funny material, but with cameras everywhere it leads comedians like Rock to believe “you don’t have room to make mistakes.” Some famous comedians don’t want to be recorded in case they say something offensive on stage that could hurt their career or even lead them to being “ canceled.” In fact, Rock made that very point around the time he walked off stage in 2014, telling Vulture that knowing people are recording your every word - especially when workshopping new material - can cause comedians to self-censor. Obviously, if audience members were to record his tour and post videos of the material online ahead of the Netflix release, it could negatively impact how many people watch the show.īut something else is at play here as well. In fact, Chappelle’s new Netflix special, “The Dreamer” with a December 31 release date, is his 7th special for the streaming giant in 6 years. In the case of Chappelle, there’s the added concern of his deal with Netflix that pays the comic reportedly $20 million per stand-up special. Or people may attend, but then complain that they had seen all the jokes before. Imagine seeing countless videos of famous comedians presenting material that wasn’t any good? Rock was so upset with people recording him working on new material in 2014, that like Chappelle last week, he reportedly walked off stage - after scolding a few audience members for recording him.īeyond that, there’s also the concern that if people can watch a well-known comedian’s current tour for free on a bootlegged video, they might not be willing to pay for a ticket. Opinion: Trump is adored by his followers. That was the very point Chris Rock made back in 2014, noting that comedians- even famous ones-need to “workshop” new jokes while they hone their material and weed out lines that simply are not funny.ĭave Chappelle host Saturday Night Live (NBC) NBC These measures are partly to prevent people in the audience from recording new material a comedian is developing that isn’t ready for primetime. That’s why for years, comedians like Chappelle, Chris Rock, John Mulaney and others have been requiring audience members to lock their phones in a pouch to prevent the recording of the show. What anyone who thinks this was an overreaction doesn’t get, is that Chappelle and comedians at his level are not just concerned with getting laughs, but also with the business end of their craft. But apparently he became so frustrated about the incident that he left the stage before finishing his act. Will Heath/NBC/Getty Imagesĭespite all that, an audience member sitting close enough in the 7,000-seat venue to allow Chappelle to see him from the stage was recording the show, via the camera on a cell phone that apparently wasn’t surrendered as requested.ĭuring his set, Chappelle admonished the audience member and alerted security. Host Pete Davidson during the Cold Open on Saturday, October 14, 2023.
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