Pop Culture

Dave Chappelle Says Ending 'Chappelle's Show' Was Like a Messy Breakup: 'That B*tch Is Crazy'

Dave Chappelle touches on damn near everything in a new interview ahead of the premiere of his two Netflix specials.

The day is nearly upon us. On Tuesday, Netflix will unleash TWO never-before-seen specials from the one and only Dave Chappelle. Ahead of the very strong two-for-one premiere, Chappelle spoke with CBS This Morning's Gayle King on his decision to walk away from Chappelle's Show and the many pitfalls of fame.

Addressing his Chappelle's Show conclusion (and the millions of dollars he left on the table in the process), Chappelle likened the experience to a painful break-up. "But Chappelle's Show's like breakin' up with a girl and you still like her," he said. "But in your mind you're like, 'That bitch is crazy. I'm not goin' back.'"

When King said that decision was "so much bigger" than money, Chappelle agreed, referencing a nature documentary to drive home his point. "I watched one of these nature shows one time, and they were talking about how a Bushman finds water when it's scarce," he said. "And they do what's called a salt trap. I didn't know this, apparently baboons love salt. So they put a lump of salt in the hole and they wait for a baboon. The baboon comes, sticks his hand in the hole, grabs the salt, the salt makes his hand bigger and he's trapped, can't get his hand out."

That baboon, Chappelle recalled, is later placed in a cage and given "all the salt he wants" until thirst strikes. "The first place the baboon runs to is water, the Bushman follows him, and they both drink to their fill," Chappelle said. "In that analogy, I felt like the baboon, but I was smart enough to let go of the salt."

Chappelle also talked his "irrational fear" of raccoons, his problem with Key & Peele's "created by" credit, and much more. Peep additional highlights from his CBS This Morning chat here.

Related Stories

Chappelle!
pop-culture

Dave Chappelle’s New Netflix Specials Prove He’s Still Comedy’s King

Dave Chappelle’s two new Netflix specials force his competition to watch the throne.

Angel Diaz3335 days ago
Dave Chappelle at the 2017 Canadian Screen Awards
pop-culture

Dave Chappelle Reveals the Inspiration Behind His Powerful ‘SNL’ Opening Monologue

Dave Chappelle gave a fascinating phone interview to the NY Times ahead of the release of his Netflix specials.

Aaron C. Mansfield3336 days ago
Chappelle!
pop-culture

Dave Chappelle Talks ISIS and O.J. Simpson in Trailer for New Netflix Special

Netflix finally dropped an actual trailer for Chappelle's two previously unseen stand-up specials, both hitting the platform later this month.

Trace William Cowen3339 days ago

Stay ahead on Exclusives

Download the Complex App