Dave Chappelle's been in and out of the news cycle for quite some time; whether it was his jaw-dropping quitting of the Chappelle's Show or over uproar over some of jokes, we know a lot about Chappelle. But there are a lot of interesting facts about one of comedy's most complex figures we don't.
1
"Dave Chappelle converted to Islam in 1998. He said, "I don’t normally talk about my religion publicly because I don’t want people to associate me and my flaws with this beautiful thing" - u/erobhag
2
"Dave Chappelle's infamous "Prince Plays Basketball" skit was 100% accurate and really happened..." - u/doogywassa
3
"Comedian and filmmaker Mel Brooks not only discovered Dave Chappelle, he also discovered Gene Wilder (The original Wonka). He also served as a Combat Engineer in the Battle of the Bulge, defusing explosives, and set up his own loud speakers and sang to enemy propaganda loudspeakers." - u/PM_me_Venn_diagrams
4
"Trey Parker, co-creator of South Park, threatened to pull a Dave Chappelle by showing Comedy Central's head of network a plane ticket to Africa because one of their episodes were censored against their will" - u/komocode
5
"in 1996 Dave Chappelle was in a spin off from Home Improvement, called "Buddies". It premiered on March 5, 1996 and was cancelled on April 3, 1996 after just five episodes." - u/jcd1974
6
"Comedian Neal Brennan wrote for the Nickelodeon children's shows All That and Kenan & Kel before going on to co-create Chappelle's Show with Dave Chappelle" - u/SorryForYoureLots
7
"Dave Chappelle agreed to be in 'A Star is Born' after Bradley Cooper flew to a party hosted by Chappelle in Ohio to ask him to join the cast. Cooper had to persistently bother Chappelle before he agreed to be in the film." - u/MorsesTheHorse
8
"the 200th episode of Inside the Actors Studio, James Lipton was, for once, in the other chair as the guest who was interviewed. They allowed Lipton to select his interviewer. His choice? Dave Chappelle" - u/gjw04
9
"Dave Chappelle quit Chappelle’s Show during filming of a sketch about magic pixies that embody stereotypes about races. Chappelle thought the sketch funny, but a white spectator laughed loud and long during taping. He wondered if he’d gone from sending up stereotypes to reinforcing them." - u/ryandmc609
10
"cover art for Prince's 2013 single "Breakfast Can Wait" was Dave Chappelle dressed as "Purple Rain" era Prince holding a plate of pancakes from a 2004 sketch." - u/Giderah
11
"both Ice Cube and Dave Chappelle were offered the role of Bubba in Forrest Gump, but turned it down." - u/Zartog1022
12
"Dane Cook has Laugh Factory's endurance record of performing for 7 hours straight, beating previous record held by Dave Chappelle by 38 minutes." - u/frobie2323
13
"the Chappelle Show sketch of Clayton Bigsby was based on Dave Chappelle’s grandfather, who was mixed-race and blind" - u/randy88moss
14
"Dave Chappelle, Janet Jackson, and Sinead O'Connor are all converts to Islam." - u/Surly_Asian_Man
15
"In season 4, episode 20 of Home Improvement, Dave Chappelle and Jim Breuer played Tool Time audience members three years before starring in Half Baked together." - u/lurkerturnedposter
16
"While performing a stand-up performance in June 2004, Dave Chappelle walked off the stage after berating his audience for constantly shouting "I'm Rick James, b***h!" After a few minutes, Chappelle returned and resumed by saying, "The show is ruining my life," referring to the Chappelle's Show."
17
"Prince's "Breakfast Can Wait" album cover features Dave Chappelle impersonating Prince. Chappelle said he had to appreciate the way his joke was co-opted. "That's a Prince judo move right there."
18
"'Joe's Apartment' featured an all-star cast of voices for the roaches including Dave Chappelle, Billy West, and Tim Blake Nelson" - u/InkIcan
19
"comedy central office assistant who received the call that dave chappelle had left chappelle's show was john mulaney" - u/michaelbaysucks96
20
"He turned down the part ("Bubba" in Forrest Gump.) because he was concerned that the character was demeaning and the movie would bomb. He later parodied the film in the 1997 short Bowl of Pork." - u/thisCantBeBad
