Comedian and cultural icon Dave Chappelle is one of the greatest comedians of his generation, and he’s never afraid of a little controversy. Recently Dave was awarded The Cultural Icon at TheGrio Awards. According to Grio, Back in 2005, he took what turned into an eight-year hiatus from heavy touring and public appearances after he legendarily abandoned a $50 million Comedy Central contract in the middle of the third season of “Chappelle’s Show,” and fans are still making up for lost time.
The three-time Grammy winner and recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor has been a pop-culture influencer before being an influencer was a thing to be, and the sacrifices he made to protect his personal peace and creative integrity predated conversations about quiet quitting and Black mental health by almost a generation, TheGrio reported.
Chappelle was not alone to receive the award, fellow comedian and actor Kenan Thompson also walked away with Comedy Icon Ward at TheGrio Awards hosted at Hollywood, California. He’s proof that nice guys can win. And that “nice” doesn’t have to be euphemistic for “boring” or “irrelevant.” Kenan Thompson delivers the kind of humor that isn’t salacious or cruel or raunchy. He’s just funny.
The Atlanta native cut his comedic style in 1994 as a 16-year-old cast member of Nickelodeon’s sketch comedy “All That” and, two years later, its spinoff “Kenan & Kel.” (His teen humor legacy resonates with younger generations — see the resurgence of “Good Burger,” a 1997 cult classic that landed in the No. 2 spot on Netflix’s most-watched movies list last year.)
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