Dave Chappelle, known stand-up comedian, stopped by the "Late Show" Tuesday night after 10 years of not dropping by. He was there to promote his scheduled tour at the Radio City Music Hall in New York, where he will be joined by other music artists, such as Janelle Monae, Erykah Badu, and the Roots, to name a few.
The show's host, David Letterman, asked Chappelle about walking away from the show "Comedy Central" in 2005. Chappelle said, "Technically, I never quit - I am seven years late for work." He further added, "It's like divorce in the 50s. You go out for cigarettes and don't come back."
Letterman also asked him about his trip to South Africa, which was believed to be the reason why he left the show, and he answered with, "I was there for two weeks. There's not too many good hiding places left in America."
He added, "I don't know if it was mysterious or not mysterious. It was like living in the corner of perception and reality. It's a weird place to be. When everyone thought Wesley Snipes was in jail, I saw him at a party."
Having the first opportunity to reel the answers out of Chappelle, Letterman kept pressing about the real reason why he left the comedy show. Finally, Chappelle pointed out that his then financial constraints compelled him to get out of Dodge during the show's 3rd season production.
Chappelle said, "I look at it like this: I'm at a restaurant with my wife - it's a nice restaurant and we're eating dinner. I look across the room and see this guy eating dinner and I say, 'You see this guy across the room? He has $100 million, and we're eating the same entrée.' Okay, fine, I don't have $50 million or whatever it was. Let's say I have $10 million in the bank - the difference in lifestyle is miniscule. The only difference between having $10 million and $50 million is an outstanding $40 million. Of course I would like to have that money."
This interview with Letterman was not just his first "Late Show" appearance in 10 years, but it was also his first late-night appearance on any talk show since he last guested at "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in 2008.
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