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Exhibitionists

How a weekend in Montreal changed Dave Chappelle's life

Droves of Canadian artists have gotten their first big break by moving south of the border, but Chappelle took his own route: looking north to Montreal.

'I'm one of the few people who came from America to Canada to get a break'

Lucius Dechausay · CBC Arts ·

How a weekend in Montreal changed Dave Chappelle

8 years ago
Duration 1:47
Droves of Canadian artists have gotten their first big break by moving south of the border, but Chappelle took his own route: looking north to Montreal.

Dave Chappelle is no stranger to doing things his own way. (Remember when he reportedly walked away from a $50 million deal with Comedy Central back in 2005?) So it makes sense that while droves of Canadian artists, actors and musicians have gotten their first big break after moving south of the border, the U.S.-born Chappelle took the opposite route: looking north to Montreal.

"I'm one of the few people who came from America to Canada to get a break," Chappelle says in this video by CBC Arts.

Performing at the 1993 Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal was a major game-changer for Chappelle. Not only did it provide a larger platform for the then-aspiring comedian, but the event also connected him to a network of professional comedians who were already making a living off of punchlines. And how did that all work out for him? Well, we think the last 24 years of his legacy probably answer that question.

Dave Chappelle's two new stand-up specials — The Age Of Spin and Deep In The Heart Of Texas — premiere today on Netflix.

Watch Exhibitionists on Friday nights at 12:30am (1am NT) and Sundays at 3:30pm (4pm NT) on CBC Television.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lucius Dechausay

Lucius Dechausay is a video producer at CBC Arts, as well as a freelance illustrator and filmmaker. His short films and animations have been screened at a number of festivals including The Toronto International Film Festival and Hot Docs. Most recently he directed KETTLE, which is currently streaming at CBC Short Docs.

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