Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Boundary-Pushing Dave Chappelle Receives Mark Twain Award
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
October 28, 2019

Share

WASHINGTON — Dave Chappelle has built a career on pushing boundaries and challenging social conventions. But his greatest act of defiance may have come Sunday night at Washington’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
At the end of an evening of tributes and testimonials, Chappelle came on stage to accept his Mark Twain prize for lifetime achievement in comedy with a lit cigarette in hand.

“I want every in America to look at me smoking indoors. I didn’t ask anybody. What are they going to do? Kick me out? This is called leverage!” — Dave Chappelle
“I want every in America to look at me smoking indoors,” He announced. “I didn’t ask anybody. What are they going to do? Kick me out? This is called leverage!”
A host of comedians and musicians paid tribute to Chappelle, 46, describing him as a uniquely gifted and passionate performer with a sort of pied piper appeal that drew other artists into his circle.
Rapper and actor Common praised Dave Chappelle’s bravery and sociological influence.
“He’s a beacon for a lot of different progressive thought,” he said as he entered the Kennedy Center Sunday night.
“He’s always been a leader in thought and culture. He says provocative things and I respect that. He brings uncomfortable things up and now we have to discuss it,” he said. “I think he’s one of the greatest, not just entertainers, but the greatest minds we have in this day and age.”

Chappelle Shocked the Entertainment Industry by Walking Away From a Lucrative Contract Extension

Michael Che, co-host of Weekend Update on “Saturday Night Live” called Chappelle, “the entertainment equivalent of what they call a five-tool player in baseball. He can perform, he can write, he can do characters. That’s why his fan-base is so wide.”
Sunday night’s ceremony was a homecoming for Chappelle, 46, who as raised in suburban Silver Spring, Maryland and attended Washington’s prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
“Going there was one of the great privileges of my life,” he said on the red carpet. “D.C. in the ’80s was turbulent and I met a bunch of young black artists who taught me it was OK to be different. It was OK to be weird.”
Chappelle was already a well-established comedian and comedic actor when he was given his own sketch comedy show in 2003.
The show on Comedy Central, “Chappelle’s Show,” was an immediate hit. It combined clever parodies that often tweaked racial conventions with uniquely staged musical productions featuring hip-hop and soul artists.
At the height of his popularity, Chappelle shocked the entertainment industry by walking away from a lucrative contract extension and abandoning the show while it was preparing for its third season. He disappeared from public view and took an extended trip to Africa. He later explained that the pressures of the show’s success and the influence applied by the network made him feel “like some kind of a prostitute.”
Chappelle gradually returned to performing, more powerful than ever, and now releases regular stand-up specials under a multimillion-dollar deal with Netflix. The departure from his own hit show made him an inspirational symbol for artists and comedians, particularly minorities, for his willingness to sacrifice profit to retain his independence.

Chappelle Spoke With Reverence About the Mark Twain Prize and the ‘Art Form’ of Stand-up Comedy

Jon Stewart, former host of the “The Daily Show,” spoke of Chappelle’s decision with respect, saying he and other comedians were in awe of, “the courage that it takes as a performer or an artist to stand for who you know you are — to take a chance on yourself.”

“He’s a gifted curator who blends different worlds seamlessly. That’s why you see so many musicians coming to this stage to pay tribute.” — John Legend
Common added, “For someone to say, ‘I’m stepping away from this because it just doesn’t feel right in my soul.’ Not a lot of people think like that.”
Musician John Legend paid tribute to Chappelle’s passion for music and determination to use his influence to spotlight different artists. At the height of his fame, Chappelle organized “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party” — a movie built around an all-star concert featuring Legend, the Roots and a reunion of The Fugees.
“He’s a gifted curator who blends different worlds seamlessly,” Legend said. “That’s why you see so many musicians coming to this stage to pay tribute.”
Chappelle spoke with reverence about the Mark Twain prize and the “art form” of stand-up comedy. He noted that the list of previous recipients reads like a roll call of his heroes, including Richard Pryor and George Carlin.
“To be on a list with Richard Pryor is just unfathomable to me,” Chappelle said. “The shoulders that I stand on are all here on this list.”
The ceremony will be broadcast Jan. 7 on PBS.

DON'T MISS

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

DON'T MISS

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

DON'T MISS

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

DON'T MISS

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

DON'T MISS

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

DON'T MISS

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

DON'T MISS

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

DON'T MISS

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

DON'T MISS

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

DON'T MISS

MLB Will Test Robot Umpires at 13 Spring Training Ballparks Hosting 19 Teams

UP NEXT

Hate Your Instagram Feed? New Reset Feature Enhances User Control

UP NEXT

Looking for a Night Out? Bill Burr, Ralph Barbosa and West Coast Takeover Are Up Next

UP NEXT

Comcast to Spin Off Cable Networks, Once Star Performers for the Entertainment Giant

UP NEXT

‘Tis the Season for Holiday Albums, From Jennifer Hudson to Toby Keith and Jimmy Fallon

UP NEXT

Budget-Friendly Hacks for a Friendsgiving Feast to Remember

UP NEXT

Rock Great Jeff Beck’s Guitars Are Going up for Auction

UP NEXT

Dan Forrest’s ‘Creation’ Is a Feast for the Ears. Fresno Master Chorale Performs It Sunday.

UP NEXT

Which Landmarks and Businesses Are Featured on Monopoly Fresno Edition?

UP NEXT

Veteran NBC Host Craig Melvin Tapped to Replace Hoda Kotb for the First Hours of ‘Today’ Show

UP NEXT

R&B Concerts, Comedy, & Worship Take Center Stage This Weekend

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

2 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

2 hours ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

2 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

3 hours ago

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

3 hours ago

Cutting in Line? American Airlines’ New Boarding Tech Might Stop You at Now Over 100 Airports

3 hours ago

MLB Will Test Robot Umpires at 13 Spring Training Ballparks Hosting 19 Teams

3 hours ago

Death Toll in Gaza From Israel-Hamas War Passes 44,000, Palestinian Officials Say

4 hours ago

Jussie Smollett’s Conviction in 2019 Attack on Himself Is Overturned

4 hours ago

Fresno Council Lowers Speed Limits on Friant and Audubon

4 hours ago

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his past negotiations with the United States only confirmed Washington’s ...

35 minutes ago

35 minutes ago

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

40 minutes ago

Democrats Strike Deal to Get More Biden Judges Confirmed Before Congress Adjourns

1 hour ago

Newsom Gaslights on Potential Gas Price Hikes in Fresno Visit

President Joe Biden with Mary Barra, the chief executive of General Motors, at the Detroit Auto Show, Sept. 14, 2022. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to erase the Biden administration’s tailpipe rules designed to get carmakers to produce electric vehicles, but most U.S. automakers want to keep them. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
2 hours ago

Automakers to Trump: Please Require Us to Sell Electric Vehicles

2 hours ago

President Biden Welcomes 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics to White House

2 hours ago

Ohtani Makes History With 3rd MVP, Judge Claims 2nd AL Honor

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at First Horizon Coliseum, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Greensboro, NC. (AP/Alex Brandon)
3 hours ago

Trump Chooses Pam Bondi for Attorney General Pick After Gaetz Withdraws

3 hours ago

Average Rate on a 30-Year Mortgage in the US Rises to Highest Level Since July

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend