"Chappelle's Show" Has Suddenly Returned to Netflix

Chappelle’s Show is back on Netflix starting today (Feb. 12), returning almost as abruptly it was yanked.

Last November comedian Dave Chappelle had asked Netflix to stop streaming reruns of the iconic sketch show due to a payment dispute over the series, which is owned and licensed by ViacomCBS. “They (ViacomCBS) didn’t have to pay me because I signed the contract,” Chappelle said in a video at the time. “But is that right? I found out that these people were streaming my work and they never had to ask me or they never have to tell me. Perfectly legal ‘cause I signed the contract. But is that right? I didn’t think so either.” He had gone on to praise Netflix for quickly removing the title.

But Chappelle announced the show’s return during a performance at Stubb’s Bar-B-Q in Austin, TX, as reported by Complex. “I asked you to stop watching the show and thank God almighty for you, you did,” said Chappelle. “You made that show worthless because without your eyes it’s nothing. And when you stopped watching it, they called me. And I got my name back and I got my license back and I got my show back and they paid me millions of dollars. Thank you very much.”

You can watch Chappelle’s performance (where he also talks about getting and recovering from the coronavirus, Edward Snowden and Colin Kaepernick), in a clip entitled “Redemption Song,” below.