Dave Chappelle was a valuable asset for Comedy Central a decade ago, and as it turns out, he’s still a major draw in 2016.
The legendary comedian returned to the spotlight a few weeks back, hosting one of the most poignant, memorable Saturday Night Live episodes in recent memory. With the show being a critical success, Chappelle’s comeback after leaving Chappelle’s Show in 2006 is in full-force, especially once it was announced he’d be doing comedy specials for Netflix.
What wasn’t known, though, was how much Netflix offered Chappelle to bring him back. The answer?
A whole lot of money, according to Page Six:
“Dave was offered $20 million a special,” an unnamed source told Page Six. “Netflix basically has a war chest for this kind of content. Whether it’s a loss or not, Dave Chappelle’s specials will get a lot of press and bring in new subscribers.”
It might seem like an insane cost, but Netflix hasn’t been shy about spending serious coin to get premium content. The networks early successful drama House of Cards reportedly cost $4.5 million per episode. Netflix also reportedly paid Chris Rock the same $20 million per special rate as Chappelle for his two releases.
Regardless of the cost, Dave Chappelle returning to comedy is something for which we can all be thankful.
Welcome back, Dave.
Wow! $60 million! What a huge loss! The only thing more ridiculous than suddenly dumping all your commitments and flying to the jungle in Africa for a few years at the height of your career is a comeback that consists of a transgender-phobic triad that seems to defend sexual assault and complains about white privilege. That guy is unwatchable.