Dave Chappelle Sits Down for First Interview in Five Years

He explained his infamous 45-minute silent performance that made headlines in June, recovering from his addiction to being famous and life in Ohio.

By Jorge Rivas Aug 16, 2011

Comedian Dave Chappelle stopped by San Francisco’s Wild 94.9 morning show to talk with DJ JV in what the host says is Chapelle’s first interview in 5 years.

Chappelle has maintained a relatively low-profile since he walked away from a $50 million contract with Comedy Central to produce two more seasons of his comedy series, "The Chappelle Show."

He described details of the infamous 45-minute silent comedy routine in Florida last June that made headlines. He explained that as soon he got on stage he saw dozens of camera phones pointing at him as the front row heckled him and it was impossible for him to do a show like that.

The show was a fundraiser at a casino owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida, according to Chappelle the men heckling him were members of the tribe and before he had a "reverse Kramer situation" (referencing Michael Richards’ 2006 racist rant) he had to disengage.

He goes on to talk about his home life in Ohio and recovering from former addictions, including an addiction to being famous.