Everybody wants to know “What’s up with Dave Chappelle?” The high profile comedian has been MIA in the past few weeks leading up to his since postponed debut of “Chappelle Show” season three. Everybody has had questions but nobody has been able to give knowledgeable answers. Everything from Dave having a drug habit to the recently reporting of Dave checking himself into a mental health facility has been talked about. But in this week’s Time Magazine, Dave speaks up about what has happened and why.
In the article, Dave does admit to dealing with a lot of issues and does say that he consulted a psychiatrist about a week ago for a short 40-minute session. He is indeed in South Africa staying with a friend but says the rumors of him checking into a mental institution are untrue. The article says that Dave is in good spirits and does not look like a man who is distraught with problems. He says South Africa is “a quiet place” where he can actually relax without the superstar pressures…
“Let me tell you the things I can do here which I can’t at home: think, eat, sleep, laugh. I’m an introspective dude. I enjoy my own thoughts sometimes. And I’ve been doing a lot of thinking here.”
He says that he is dealing with the new pressure of being a man of power (complete with a $50 million deal) and blames not only himself but others within his inner circle (not family) for all the stress created by the sudden superstardom and deal.
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“There were things that overwhelmed me,” he says. “But not in the way that people are saying. I haven’t spent any of the money. All that stuff about partying and taking crack is not true. Why do I live on a farm in Ohio? To support my partying lifestyle?”
He stresses that Comedy Central was not part of the problem but places the blame more on the “company you keep.”
“During my ascent, I’ve seen other people go through that wall to become really big. They always said that fame didn’t change them but that it changes the people around them. You always hear that but you never really understand it. But now that I’m there that makes a lot of sense and I’m learning what that means. You have to have people around you that you can trust and aren’t just out for a meal ticket.”
Besides being obsessed with making great material he wants to make sure that he is “dancing and not shuffling.”
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Dave didn’t disclose the future of “Chappele Show” but it is good to hear that he is in good spirits and doing well- just a little stressed that’s all.
