Dave Chappelle resolves his dispute over Chappelle's Show
Series returns to Netflix
Chappelle's Show is returning to Netflix in the US after the streaming service paid him ‘millions of dollars’.
The show was removed from Netflix in November, less than a month after its debut, after the comedian complained he didn’t receive any money from it.
He urged his fans not to watch it, and in a new video posted on Instagram, he said: ‘Thank God almighty for you, you did. You made that show worthless because without your eyes, it's nothing.
‘And when you stopped watching it, they called me. And I got my name back and I got my licence back and I got my show back and they paid me millions of dollars. Thank you very much.’
In the stand-up clip he explains why he went public over his dispute with Comedy Central, which made the show and retained the rights, and suggested he had now won them back, resolving his dispute with the broadcaster.
Chappelle made two seasons of the show for the broadcaster in 2003 and 2004, but walked away from the third series midway through filming, saying the pressure was too much.
Comedy Central’s parent company ViacomCBS owned the rights, but sold them on to Netflix – where the comic has a lucrative deal for stand-up specials.
When he found out the comic got in touch with Netflix and asked the show to be taken down. In November, he revealed: ‘They agreed that they would take it off their platform just so I could feel better. That’s why I fuck with Netflix. Because they paid me my money, they do what they say they’re going to do, and they went above and beyond what you could expect from a businessman.’
In the new stand-up clip, recorded in Austin, Texas, Chappelle e thanked Chris McCarthy, president of entertainment at ViacomCBS, for 'making the past right'.
He concludes the clip, entitled Redemption Song, by saying: 'After all these years I can finally say, "Comedy Central it has been a pleasure doing business with you".'
Earlier in the routine he discussed how he caught Covid-19, saying it was because he was too impatient to get back on stage.
Chappelle’s Show is, however, still not available to Netflix subscribers in the UK, as it was not on the platform here before the row flared up.
Published: 12 Feb 2021
