Post by nehketah on Dec 20, 2005 22:27:07 GMT -5
January 22, 2003
Chappelle's first show set the tone for much of the content of the upcoming series. It featured a sketch on a blind, black white supremacist, Clayton Bigsby, who was raised by white foster parents and taught from a young age to abhor the black race.
The sketch, inspired by the true to life circumstances of Chappelle's grandfather, was considered the high point of the show, and concluded with Bigsby taking off his KKK-hood at a Klan rally and shouting "WHITE POWER" to the horrified reactions of his fellow Klansmen.
According to Nielsen ratings, the show was seen by approximately 2.5 million viewers in on its opening night — a small, but respectable, audience for the debut of a basic cable show.
One of viewers that night was Bill Cosby, an old friend of Chappelle who had helped him secure movie roles early in his career. Bill later recalled being eager to watch the show to see how Dave's career was progressing.
To summarize an interview with Cosby by the Philadelphia Metro, he wasn't pleased.
January 29, 2003
The show's' second episode aired, featuring the debut of what will soon become one the show's most identifiable characters, Tyrone Biggums — crackhead. In his first appearance, Biggums lectures at a grammar school's drug awareness week. The wisdom he dispenses to children includes that dog food is delicious, and that he has sucked dick for crack.
Bill Cosby had tuned in to this show as well, and according to friends of his, was reportedly livid with the portrayal of the black community that Chappelle was foisting on viewers. This may have been when he began to think about doing something to send a message to Chappelle about the "show's outrageous tone."
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Feb. 2003
February 5, 2003
Chappelle's Show third episode featured a take off on the making of Roots, a topic that many upper-income, baby-boomer blacks hold sacred.
Soon after the airing of this show, a friend of Minister Louis Farrakhan recalled a heated phone call discussion between Farrakhan and Cosby. It appeared that, already upset from having seen Chappelle's Show before, Cosby had been pushed over the edge and decided to seek out help from his influential friends.
Chappelle remained blissfully unaware that he was a topic of heated debate amongst some of the most powerful members of black American society — in interviews it seemed he was completely engrossed in the growing success of his show.
February 12, 2003
Episode four of Chappelles's Show, which by this time was beginning to pick up a head of steam with the public and critics alike, featured a sketch fantasizing about what would happen if black people were given reparations. The outcome was that Tron, a ghetto hustler, supplants Bill Gates as the world's richest man, and stock market prices for fried chicken related companies surge.
It's about this time that Al Sharpton, a staunch reparations supporter, and longtime fan of Chappelle, noticed the show's growing popularity. Sharpton began writing letters to his contemporaries concerning Chappelle, unaware that Cosby was also displeased and taking action.
February 26, 2003
Episode six of Chappelle's Show featured the sketch "It's a Mad Real World" a take off on MTV's Real World series. In the Chappelle version, a white, suburban male rooms with six black inner city youth, and is terrorized throughout his stay. His dad is stabbed and his girlfriend is molested by his inner-city, African-American roommate Tyree.
Robert L. Johnson, alerted by the rumblings coming from the Cosby, Farrakhan, and Sharpton camps, decided to tune into this show to see what Chappelle had been doing that was getting so many black leaders rankled. After watching the show, Johnson reportedly thought to himself, "Bill, Al and Louis may be right — if this really blows up, it sets us up to be minstrels again." Just as Cosby and Farrakhan did, Johnson decided to get involved as well.
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March 5, 2003
Episode seven of Chappelle's Show skewered the Star Wars franchise. It had a bit based around sexual molestation that occurs at the Jedi Academy. A reportedly furious George Lucas, demanded that his secretary place a call to Whoopi Goldberg, a long time friend of Lucas as well as an early benefactor and friend of Chappelle. Lucas wanted her to see if she could get word to Chappelle that he is not amused.
According to Lucas's secretary, it seemed as if Goldberg — like Bill Cosby — did not agree with the message that Chappelle's Show was sending to the African-American youth.
March 12, 2003
Episode eight of Chappelle's Show saw the reemergence of the Tyrone Biggums — crackhead character. During his appearance, Tyrone is lured to an intervention with the promise of free crack.
After the show's conclusion, a reportedly furious Cosby got Farrakhan and Al Sharpton — who he had heard was also concerned about Chappelle's effect on the African American community — on a conference call. The three men decided to meet for lunch at Farrakhan's Chicago residence to discuss what action to take.
March 19, 2003
Episode nine of Chappelle's Show was the one that captured the attention of Black America's biggest power broker — Oprah Winfrey.
The sketch that alerted Goldberg to the growing Chappelle phenomenon came to Oprah's attention in a roundabout way. "The Player Hater's Ball" sketch featured an aside by the Silky Johnson character talking about how Rosie O'Donnell wears "underwear with the dickhole in them."
O'Donnell mentioned the remark while lunching with Winfrey at the Palm in West Hollywood the next day. Winfrey, who had supported Chappelle early on, had her staff get a tape of Chappelle's Show so she could take a look at the sketch.
She was appalled at the subjects Chappelle mined for humor, and immediately began calling friends in the black entertainment and business communities to see what they thought of the show's content.
March 26, 2003
The season's 10th episode features the R. Kelley "Piss on You" video. This contraversial sketch ignited a world of criticism and, unsurprisingly, caught the attention of Bill Cosby.
In a call on March 27, Cosby voiced his concerns directly to Chappelle.
In an aside to a co-worker, Chappelle reported telling Cosby how he was thankful for his insight, but while the show was riding a wave of acclaim, he didn't want to tinker with a successful formula. He believed Cosby was just over-reacting and didn't think much of the phone call.
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April 9, 2003
The season finale of Chappelle's Show featured a sketch spoofing the popularity of "mate-swap" reality television programs. It revolved around a black family and a white family trading spouses, and plays on long held stereotypes about black male virility, while willfully promoting racial miscegenation.
Louis Farrakhan, most likely under the direction of Cosby, sought out the opportunity to speak with Chappelle. Farrakhan, who had advised Chappelle on his conversion to Islam in 1998, visited Chappelle on location days after the episode aired. His concerns fall on deaf ears, as Chappelle was resistant to pressure to tone down the show's content.
April 1, 2003
While in Philadelphia, visiting her good friend Patti Labelle, Oprah Winfrey was seen meeting with Bill Cosby, who was also in town attending a function at Temple University. The two of them were witnessed dining at the exclusive Walnut Street eatery Le Bec Fin.
While the two were catching up, Cosby was overheard casually mentioning his concern over Chappelle's Show, and his failed attempts to convince Dave to change his brand of humor. "...funny you should mention that, I've had the same concerns," Winfrey reportedly responded.
The two spend a long dinner talking about how to exert covert pressure on Chappelle to change the show's content. Winfrey offers to reach out to friends she's spoken with regarding Chappelle. And just like that, the Dark Crusaders are born.
April 20, 2003
With Chapelle's Show on hiatus before production for season two commences, Chappelle took some down time at his Ohio area farm. It was here that he received a strange package.
As told by Dave himself, at around noon, in the middle of an early season Cincinnati Reds game, there was a knock at his door. Chappelle was a bit concerned, as no one except his close family and friends were aware of where he was.
When he opened the door, all he found was a crudely wrapped package, with the inscription "For Chappelle" on it.
Inside the package was a voodoo-doll style replica of Chappelle dressed as Clayton Bigsby — the African American Klansman from his first show. The doll was riddled with safety pins, and had a noose tied sharply around his neck. Accompanying the doll was a message in a childlike scrawl that read, "what you're doing is hurting the African American community — it needs to stop."
Chappelle was extremely bothered by the development, but later chalked it up to a local group of black nationalists — "probably some college kids from Antioch looking for kicks."
Though Chappelle was unaware of it at the time, this was the first assault by The Dark Crusaders aimed at shutting down his comedy career.
While telling his wife about the package he received in Ohio, Chappelle began to think that maybe the voodoo-doll package was not an isolated incident, but part of a larger, coordinated campaign. Shaken by the phone call, he stayed awake with his wife and executives of the hotel for the rest of the night.
August 31, 2003
As Chappelle began production on the second season of Chapelle's Show, strange things started to occur. Scripts for the sketches began disappearing, featured players weren't showing up on the set, and illnesses were plaguing key members of the crew.
Additionally, Chappelle voiced his concern to one of the extras of the show that one of the replacement cameramen looked like the Nation of Islam bodyguards Farrakhan had with him when he visited the set earlier in the year. Upon confronting him, Chappelle learns that the replacement cameraman was originally from Chicago, was a fellow Muslim, and was a member of Farrakhan's congregation.
After this incident, Chappelle confided in cast member Charlie Murphy and head writer Neal Brennan that he thinks some powerful black people are out to get him to tone down the show's content, and that they may have infiltrated the set. Both tell him not to worry — that it's just the pressure getting to him. But personally, both worry that the pressure to succeed may have been getting to Chappelle, and express concern to other crew members.
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September 15, 2003
While in Washington, D.C. on a weekend break from shooting, Chappelle and his mom decided to catch a movie. Shortly after the movie started, witnesses reported a man who looked like Al Sharpton taking a seat behind Chappelle and his mother.
When Chappelle's mother excused herself to go to the bathroom, Sharpton was seen moving into the seat beside Chappelle. Chappelle would later recount what Sharpton had whispered: "I didn't appreciate the mockery directed at reparations in last season's shows. You should be ashamed of selling out the community for cheap laughs and ratings." Sharpton was seen quickly leaving the theatre immediately after.
When Chappelle told his mother about this upon her return, she was in disbelief. She asked if he was feeling alright and if the pressure of success was getting to him. She then offered to take him to see her physiatrist. It was around this time, and understandably so, that Chappelle began to sink deep into paranoia.
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January 1, 2004
With the debut of Chappelle's Show's third season growing closer, Dave began receiving phone calls at all hours of the day when he was in his family's house alone. The phone calls all said the same thing "Tone down the show, or you will have to go."
When Chappelle contacted the local police department and phone company in an attempt to trace the calls, they report that they have no record of the calls ever being made. When Chappelle confided in his wife that he thinks he is being targeted by a group of powerful black showbiz folks and politicians, she tells him that he's acting "crazy" and he should relax and enjoy his success. With everyone in Chappelle's life doubting his sanity, it was only a matter of time before the media started to report Chappelle acting strangely.
January 21, 2004
Season two of Chappelle's Show aired. The debut episode featured the infamous "Racial Draft" sketch, where Tiger Woods is declared "all black" and chosen by the black race with their draft pick, and the Wu Tang Clan is declared Asian, and drafted by the Asian race.
After the show played, Chappelle was seen having dinner with friends at Pastis in New York City's fashionable meatpacking district. When he tried to pick up the tab, embarassingly he found out that his credit card had been rejected. He tried several other credit cards, and found that surprisingly, they were rejected too.
After his last credit card was declined, Chappelle received a call on his cell phone. Chappelle confided to his friends that the voice on the line advised him that "this is only the beginning if you don't do what we want — try your credit cards now." Chappelle, clearly rattled, told the wait staff to run his credit card once more. When it did, this may have been when Chappelle began to realize the seriousness of the situation.
January 28, 2004
Despite what appeared to be a growing conspiracy against him, Chappelle forged ahead with his show, refusing to rewrite skits. That week's show featured the "Niggars" sketch, and following its run, Chappelle began feeling the pressure again.
On Tuesday, while watching an episode of the Oprah Winfrey show, Chappelle recalled being completely stunned when Winfrey turned to the camera in the middle of interviewing Tom Cruise and said "Dave Chappelle, you should be ashamed of yourself for airing that Niggars sketch on your show this week, I'm going to make sure you never work in Hollywood again."
The image, allegedly taped by Winfrey, and transmitted to Chappelle's house under the direction of Robert L. Johnson who called in some favors with Chappelle's local affiliate station manager, terrified Chappelle.
At that time he considered telling the show's cast and producers what was happening to him, but decided against it. He feared it would alienate him from his staff mdash; making them think he was delusional, which, by that point, Chappelle was fairly certain he was.
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February 11, 2004
The catchphrase "I'm Rick James bitch" made its debut on this week's show. What was once a somewhat successful, cult television show was now a full blown phenomenon. Season one DVD sales begin to blow up, and Chappelle's Q rating soars.
This caused the Dark Crusaders to really turn on the pressure. Most likely sensing that their window of opportunity to silence Chappelle was fast closing, they convened at Oprah Winfrey's Chicago production offices to coordinate yet another assault on Dave.
February 18, 2004
The next episode of Chappelle's Show aired, and it once again featured the Tyrone Biggums — crackhead character.
All was quiet in the life of Chappelle after this show, no reports of harassing phone calls, or strange packages delivered to his house — no message form Oprah arriving via television.
To Chappelle, it appeared that the "Dark Crusaders" had stopped, but soon he would find out it was just the eye of the hurricane. What laid in store for him next would be worse than anything that came before.
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March 3, 2004
After a relative lull in their campaign against Chappelle, the Dark Crusaders came back with a vengeance.
That week's Chappelle's Show featured a sketch that parodied anti-drug commercials, and shows a little girl on a bike being hit by a car of stoned teenagers. In this rendition however, Dave and his crew hit the kid, freak out, and then decide to chop her body up and stuff her remains down a drain. This is perhaps the raunchiest skit ever to appear on the show, and it is Dave's way of thumbing his nose at his harassers, saying, no, he won't back down.
After this show airs, Chappelle began to notice that he is being shadowed by a group of three large, crisply attired, African American gentlemen. Where ever he went they never seemed far behind. He asked his family and close friends if they noticed this too, but they never seemed to catch a glimpse of the men.
This reached its apex when Chappelle emerged from the shower one morning to find the three men sitting in his bathroom. By Chappelle's account, they told him "If we can get into your home this easily David, imagine what we can do to you if we really wanted to hurt you. If you don't tone down your show, maybe the next time we're in your bathroom, we'll be waiting for your wife or children to get out of the shower — not you."
Chappelle was found on the bathroom floor by his wife several hours later — most likely having fainted due to shock. When he tried to relate the story to her, she immediately called for an ambulance, thinking — and rightfully so — that her husband was having a nervous breakdown. The incident was hushed up by Chappelle's agent, who was in negotiations with Comedy Central to produce a third season of Chappelle's Show.
March 10, 2004
Figuring that he had nothing left to lose, Chappelle went ahead with his decision to air a sketch he knew would be patently offensive to every one that was after him, as well as catering to the base tastes of his white middle-class audience. The sketch, called "I Know Black People," centered around Chappelle asking people who claim to know black people questions about black culture. Some sample dialogue between Chappelle and contestants includes:
Chappelle: What is a chickenhead?
Professor: That's a woman who umm puts her mouth on the member of a — or sometimes called a crackwhore.
(Ring)
Chappelle: That is acceptable. That is one of the many definitions of a chickenhead.