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Minnesota State University, Mankato Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects 2012 Deconstructing "Chappelle's Show": Race, Masculinity,and Comedy As Resistance Lyndsey Lynn Wetterberg Minnesota State University - Mankato Follow this and additional works at: http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds Part of the African American Studies Commons, Ethnic Studies Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Wetterberg, Lyndsey Lynn, "Deconstructing "Chappelle's Show": Race, Masculinity,and Comedy As Resistance" (2012). Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects. Paper 133. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects by an authorized administrator of Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. i DECONSTRUCTING “CHAPPELLE’S SHOW”: RACE, MASCULINITY, AND COMEDY AS RESISTANCE by LYNDSEY L.WETTERBERG A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF ARTS IN GENDER AND WOMEN’S STUDIES MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY MANKATO, MINNESOTA JULY 2012 ii Deconstructing Chappelle’s Show: Race, Masculinity, and Comedy as Resistance Lyndsey Wetterberg This thesis (or dissertation) has been examined and approved by the following members of the thesis (or dissertation) committee. Dr. Helen Crump, Advisor Committee Member, Dr. Shannon Miller Committee Member, Dr. Kristen Treinen iii Abstract “Chappelle’s Show” is a sketch comedy series that ran from 2003-2004 and that was created by and starred comedian Dave Chappelle. Chappelle focused on the issues of racism and race as gendered and as a social construction throughout the show’s two full seasons. Using content analysis, my research highlights race and masculinity as a social construction within the context of “Chappelle’s Show” by focusing on specific sketches within the series that play on issues of race and gender. The overarching theme of my analysis examines the idea of comedy as resistance to dominant society, specifically to race and gender norms and thus to limited expectations and representations of black masculinity. The selected sketches exemplify how humor de-centers popular narrative and positions the world within a marginalized perspective. iv Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to give special thanks to Dr. Helen Crump for heading my thesis committee. I am truly thankful for her guidance through this oftentimes frustrating process. Dr. Helen Crump encouraged me from the very beginning and helped me turn my favorite comedy series into relevant academic scholarship. I also would like to thank Dr. Shannon Miller and Dr. Kristen Treinen for their time and knowledge and serving on my thesis committee. I would also like to thank fellow graduate student and kindred-spirit Anne Estling for being a wonderful friend and “reconvening” with me when it was truly necessary. I look forward to our adventures as post-graduates. My dog, Logan, also deserves my thanks and appreciation for moving with me from the South to the coldest place on earth. I must also thank my Mom and Dad without whom none of this would have been possible; I love you. v Table of Contents Chapter I. Introduction…………………………………………………………………..1 Chapter II. Review of Literature………………………………………………………...7 Chapter III. Methodology……………………………………………………………... 27 Chapter IV. Content Analysis…..……………………………………………………....33 The Roots of African American Humor………………………………………… Masculinity……………………………………………………………………… Race……………………………………………………………………………... Language………………………………………………………………………… Chapter V. Conclusion………………………………………………………………….77 Appendix………………………………………………………………………………..82 References……………………………………………………………………………..115 1 CHAPTER 1 “Chappelle’s Show”, a sketch comedy show co-created by Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan and featuring comedian Dave Chappelle, exemplifies humor as a tool of social advocacy in response to the climate and the historical legacy of racism in the United States. Employing scholarship on race theory, African-American humor, and performances of black masculinity, I examine the history of racism and comedy in the U.S., contending that “Chappelle’s Show” substantially follows in the tradition of African-American comedy. Therefore, the evidence obtained from the scholarship I use will support my theoretical claim that “Chappelle’s Show” is an act of non-violent protest and resistance to social and racial inequality. In deconstructing race, history, and black masculinity in the context of “comedy as resistance”, I engage W.E.B. Du Bois’s theory of double-consciousness in order to ascertain and discuss the positionality of African- Americans in popular culture, particularly when compared with media representations and/or stereotypes of race and black masculinity, and to critique the ways that “Chappelle’s Show” challenges and speaks to racial discourse. Brief History of “Chappelle’s Show” “Chappelle’s Show” first broadcasted on Comedy Central in January 2003, and it ran successfully for two full seasons. By the second season, the show’s audience had increased by 25%, and it became one of Comedy Central’s most viewed television shows (Champagne). “Chappelle’s Show” earned industry recognition and was nominated for three Emmy Awards in 2004 (Champagne). With a loyal fan base and increasing popularity, Comedy Central had struck gold; Dave Chappelle signed a two-year contract, 2 which was estimated to be worth $50 million. Then, without warning, in May 2004, Chappelle abruptly walked out on “Chappelle’s Show” (Farley). Without the hit T.V. series star and host, Comedy Central was forced to postpone the third season of “Chappelle’s Show” indefinitely. Though the show lasted for a short time by television standards, “Chappelle’s Show” was a cultural phenomenon and grasped an audience of epic proportions. Dave Chappelle (who started doing stand-up at the age of fourteen and has been in numerous Hollywood films and commercials) was finally being recognized for his talent and comedic genius. Subsequently, he became the face of new-school comedy, and some even consider him to be one of the greatest stand-up comics of all time, certainly of his generation. So, the media’s all-consuming question was, why did Dave Chappelle walk away from a hit comedy series and $50 million? Chappelle was nowhere to be found. Rumors circulated that he had checked into a mental hospital, had gone crazy, or was smoking more than just marijuana (Fareley). Though Chappelle had admitted that he met with a therapist for a 40-minute session, the media obviously exaggerated this isolated incident. As it turns out, Dave Chappelle had traveled to Durban, Africa, to escape the Hollywood drama and reflect on his recent rise to fame and success; he described his trip as a “spiritual retreat” (Farley). He was questioning himself as an artist and as an individual. Chappelle feared the consequences of fame and fortune, contending, “It’s like someone saying, ‘You’re the CEO of a $50 million company—good luck!’ And then kinda leaving you to your own devices. I’ve been a comedian since I was fourteen. But I’ve never really been a CEO” (Powell). After 3 a brief absence from the public eye, Dave Chappelle gave several exclusive interviews to tell his side of the story in order to set the record straight. He told Time magazine that he was not crazy and he was not on drugs (Farley). There were a myriad of reasons for Chappelle’s seemingly sudden escape from Hollywood. In fact, during a two-hour special with James Lipton on “Inside the Actor’s Studio,” Chappelle poignantly expressed to Lipton and the audience that “the worse thing to call someone is crazy—I don’t understand this person, so they’re crazy—that’s bulls**t. These people are not crazy; they’re strong people. Maybe their environment is a little sick” (taequeen0611). According to the comedian himself, Dave Chappelle was fed up with Hollywood and compromising his art and personal politics for the sake of being a brand for Comedy Central. Dave Chappelle was not selling out. During the second season of “Chappelle’s Show,” episode 12 fictionalizes what would happen if Dave Chappelle quit “Chappelle’s Show” and was replaced by daytime T.V. personality Wayne Brady (“Chappelle’s Show”). Thus, the show would be hosted by Wayne Brady and dubbed “the Brady Show.” This appeared to be an obvious message that Dave Chappelle had become dissatisfied with things that were going on behind the camera and that the sketch, in something of an art-imitating-life or life-imitating-art moment, foreshadowed the future of “Chappelle’s Show.” During a candid interview in May 2006, Esquire magazine documented Dave Chappelle’s unofficial return to show business at the Grammy Awards in Hollywood, California (Powell). The interview also uncovered some interesting facts as to why Dave Chappelle really left “Chappelle’s Show” and the public sphere. Chappelle told Esquire 4 that, during the first and second seasons of “Chappelle’s Show,” Viacom bought Comedy Central. He spoke candidly, commenting that “certain things happened that were strange at the time ” (Powell). He had been asked to attend a conference on his use of the n-word. Chappelle willingly attended the meeting but, afterward, felt discomfort with the entire situation. Chappelle stated, Why the fuck would I explain to a room full of white people why I say the word nigga? Why on earth would I put myself in a position like that? So you got me on a panel, and all of these, like Harvard-educated, you know, upper-echelon authors, me, and a rapper. So here I am explaining, and I was defensive ‘cause of what was going on at the time—we had just shot the Niggar Family sketch, and I was at a symposium on the word nigger. So I’m feeling like I’m fighting censorship.

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