Dave Chappelle is officially, 100%, totally and completely back.
The comedian, who received rave reviews for his Saturday Night Live hosting stint on November 12, has signed a pretty major deal with Netflix.
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The streaming company has announced on Twitter that it will release a trio of new comedy specials from Chappelle at various points in the near future.
No release dates have been revealed as of this writing.
However, we can confirm that one of the specials will be an original set filmed exclusively for Netflix, while the remaining two wil be from “Chappelle’s personal comedy vault” and were filmed at Austin City Limits Live and the Hollywood Paladium.
The following Tweet is the extent of the information Netflix has provided us with:
“Dave Chappelle is a legendary voice in comedy – searing, vital, and now more than ever, essential,” said Lisa Nishimura, VP of Original Documentary and Comedy said via statement, adding:
“Dave’s three new specials promise to be some of the most anticipated events in comedy, and we are honored he will mark his global return on Netflix.”
Always a beloved and respected comedian, Chappelle struck it huge in 2003 with his Comedy Central sketch program, Chappelle’s Show
It was a critical and ratings hit and the network at the time offered him $ 50 million to film three more years of the series.
After initially agreeing to this deal and setting May 31, 2005 premiere date for Season 3, Chappelle stunned fans and the entertainment industry when he abruptly left during production and took a trip to South Africa.
It was reported by some at the time that he suffered some kind of nervous breakdown.
“Coming here, I don’t have the distractions of fame. It quiets the ego down,” he said at one point during his international sabbatical.
“I’m interested in the kind of person I’ve got to become. I want to be well-rounded and the industry is a place of extremes. I want to be well-balanced. I’ve got to check my intentions, man.”
Chappelle remained mostly out of the spotlight ever since taking this hiatus.
But he hosted SNL for its first show after Donald Trump was elected President, striking the perfect balance of seriousness, comedy and insight and pretty much announcing his comeback in the process.
Now, thanks to his deal with Netflix, he’s likely on his way back to making up for a lot of the $ 50 million he left on the table over a decade ago.