Report: Chappelle in Psych Facility

[Brian Damage]

He hasn't been seen on set for weeks. His hit show has been shut down. His friends are speculating on various reasons for his purported meltdown.

Now comes word that Dave Chappelle is undergoing treatment in a psychiatric facility in South Africa.

Quoting an unnamed source "close to the situation," Entertainment Weekly said Wednesday that the comedian flew to South Africa late last month and voluntarily checked himself into the undisclosed facility. There is no word on the nature of his ailment or how long he will be hospitalized.

Sources confirmed to E! last week that Chappelle had been a no-show at work for several days. On May 4, Comedy Central abruptly announced Chappelle's Show wouldn't make its May 31 third season launch and that production had been halted indefinitely. Visit for more:

"All parties are optimistic that production will resume in the near future," network spokesman Tony Fox said in a statement.

Chappelle's publicist, Matt Labov, has not publicly commented since Chappelle disappeared.

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The entertainer reportedly flew from Newark, New Jersey, to Capetown, South Africa, on Apr. 28 to seek treatment.

The EW report trumps earlier speculation in the latest edition of Newsweek. Several unnamed friends of the entertainer posited different theories explaining his absence to the newsmag. One said Chappelle "freaked" and didn't know how to deal with the breakout success of Chappelle's Show, which has become a full-blown pop-culture phenomenon and led to Chappelle signing an unprecedented $50 million contract last summer. The deal came in the wake of the sketch comedy's record-setting first-season DVD sales.

Another acquaintance alluded to the Half-Baked star's partying. "I wouldn't say it's out of control," the purported pal dished to Newsweek, "but at some point that has to affect you if you've got a regular gig." Chappelle's camp has categorically denied he was abusing drugs.

A third suggested in Newsweek that Chappelle had creative differences with Comedy Central over the direction of the show. Chappelle reportedly wanted to push the boundaries of his comedy, with some racially provocative sketches, but the network had resisted.

A source close to the production tells E! that Chappelle had finished nearly five episodes for the new season before going AWOL. The season got off to a bumpy start late last year when Comedy Central announced it was moving back the debut from February to May, saying Chappelle had been unable to stockpile enough scripts due to an illness.

With the show's future suddenly in doubt, Comedy Central and corporate sibling Paramount are hoping to plug the Chappelle gap in the meantime with the release of the second-season DVD collection on May 24.

[Mecca]

I love Dave Chappelle's work. I hope he gets well soon. It's kind of odd that he would leave the states to go all the way to South Africa for his "mental health" if thats the case. He may be having a Mariah Carey moment and just cracked.

[Courtnee]

Chappelle Reportedly Checks Into Facility
Wednesday May 11 10:13 PM ET


Comedy Central star Dave Chappelle has checked himself into a mental health facility in South Africa, the magazine Entertainment Weekly reported on Wednesday.

The comedian's whereabouts and condition have been unknown since Comedy Central abruptly announced last week that the planned May 31 launch of the third season of "Chappelle's Show" had been postponed and production halted.

Chappelle flew from Newark, N.J., to South Africa on April 28 for treatment, said the magazine, quoting a source close to the show it would not identify. Entertainment Weekly said it had corroborating sources for its story.

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"We don't know where he is," Comedy Central spokesman Tony Fox said. "We've heard about South Africa. We don't know. We haven't talked to Dave."

Chappelle's spokesman, Matt Labov, would not comment on the magazine's story.

"It seems like the issues he's contending with are really quite serious," said Dade Hayes, a senior editor at Entertainment Weekly. "It isn't a case of him spending a weekend someplace recuperating from exhaustion."

The magazine's sources say Chappelle is still in the facility, which was not named, Hayes said. Chappelle's representatives have denied that the comedian was abusing drugs.

Chappelle reportedly signed a $50 million deal with Comedy Central for two more seasons of his show, a payday made possible because of the explosive sales of the show's first season DVD.

The magazine said Chappelle had shot four to five episodes' worth of sketches for the new season, but none of its onstage introductions.

[MsOrange]

dang... i wonder what's up

[MsOrange]

if you don't mind, can you post the link where you got that article?

[Courtnee]

Originally Posted by MsOrange

if you don't mind, can you post the link where you got that article?

sure sorry : http://tv.yahoo.com/news/ap/20050511/111587478000.html

[dandelion wine]

I wish the best for Dave and I really hope things will be ok again for him soon.

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

I just think he's under a lot of pressure to live up to the last two seasons. Poor guy, hope things get better soon

[Hollow]

that's sad. his show is really funny.

i hate the hell out of people who laugh at and ridicule shizophrenic/insane people, and act like anyone who stays in a psychiatric hospital or asylum is "insane" and therefore, not a valid human being. why don't you go make fun of someone with cerebral palsy.

[Janice]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/200...D8A1TD4O1.html

Comedy Central Marches on Minus Chappelle


NEW YORK (AP) - Along with Jon Stewart, Dave Chappelle is Comedy Central's biggest star. Now he's gone, with some question about whether "Chappelle's Show" will ever return.

At Comedy Central, they're looking to weather the storm but not from a position of weakness: the network's ratings are higher than ever, even without new shows from Chappelle.

Comedy Central announced last week that its planned May 31 debut of the show's third season has been postponed, although it's not fully clear why. The magazine Entertainment Weekly reported that Chappelle had checked himself into a mental health facility in South Africa. Production of the series has been stopped with a handful of skits - but no full show - completed, according to the magazine.

Media analyst Larry Gerbrandt said an original series that breaks through the clutter to become a hit is an invaluable commodity.

"Hits are so rare in this business," said Gerbrandt, who specializes in the cable television industry. "It's not fatal, but it's definitely a body blow."

Comedy Central inked a reported $50 million deal to keep "Chappelle's Show" for two more seasons, mostly on the strength of explosive DVD sales. The first season's set has sold 2.8 million copies, making it the all-time biggest-selling DVD of a TV series. The second-season DVD goes on sale May 24.

Industry experts say Comedy Central doesn't sell advertising on a show-by-show basis; advertisers buy spots for the whole network and they are rotated into different series. That means there wouldn't be an immediate financial hit from losing "Chappelle's Show" like there would be if ABC suddenly lost "Desperate Housewives."

If Chappelle doesn't return, it also doesn't necessarily mean Comedy Central is on the hook for a huge contract: part of his big-money deal is based on expected sales of future DVDs, according to industry reports.

"Chappelle's Show" is behind only "South Park" as Comedy Central's most-watched show, according to Nielsen Media Research. ("The Daily Show" ranks No. 5 in ratings for the network, although Stewart is arguably its biggest star.)

Comedy Central will fill Chappelle's empty time slot with episodes of "Reno 911" before the June 14 debut of "Stella," an original series described as a Marx Brothers-like comedy, said network spokesman Tony Fox.

A new series featuring popular comic Carlos Mencia is also expected this summer, he said.

Comedy Central executives were reluctant to talk about how Chappelle's absence will be felt, both out of the immediate concern for his health and the still-unanswered question about whether the show has a future.

The network's ratings success this year was largely fueled by an airing of the "Blue Collar Comedy Tour" movie and a roast of Jeff Foxworthy.

Aaron Cohen, director of broadcasting for the ad-buying firm Horizon Media, said Comedy Central appeared to have several strong shows in development. They include programs featuring Stephen Colbert of "The Daily Show," Adam Carolla and D.L. Hughley.

"I don't think they will lose money," Cohen said. "The only economic impact would be if the ratings of the whole network went down and if all of their development would go into the tank so they're not building anymore. I don't see that."

Gerbrandt said one of the most important roles of "Chappelle's Show" for Comedy Central is to build interest in other network programming. It's similar to how "Grey's Anatomy" has become a hit for ABC in part because it follows the successful "Desperate Housewives" in the Sunday night lineup. "It doesn't break them financially, but it's a big setback for them from a programming strategy standpoint," he said. "Because you build on your hits."

[TVFactFan]

I was right, i always knew something wasn;t mentally right with him.

[Rhiannon]

i love Chapelle's show!

[Courtnee]

Originally Posted by *Island Tahiti*

i love Chapelle's show!

ME TOO!!!! HE's so funny!

[robyrob]

man, that's CRAZY!

i bet he's doing "research" though....

[dawsongirl]

Maybe he just got sick of Hollywood **** and went to relax. I would.