# Dave Chappelle in mental hospital in South Africa!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2005, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dave-chappelle-in-mental-hospital-in-south-africa/303508 "2005-05-12T03:55:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dave-chappelle-in-mental-hospital-in-south-africa/303508/1 "2005-05-12T03:55:51Z")
I just read [this.](http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,16535,00.html) Un-fucking-believable. I hope he’s OK, but I’m kinda pissed his show won’t be on anytime soon. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dave-chappelle-in-mental-hospital-in-south-africa/303508/2 "2005-05-12T04:47:15Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > I just read [this.](http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,16535,00.html) Un-fucking-believable. I hope he’s OK, but I’m kinda pissed his show won’t be on anytime soon. Strange. I heard recently that a tabloid was going to report this very story. So for the moment, I’m unconvinced. I suspect E! got duped. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dave-chappelle-in-mental-hospital-in-south-africa/303508/3 "2005-05-12T05:05:25Z")
We had another thread about that. I’m not buying it. Meanwhile, I’m hoping that this fall, we can have Chappelle’s Show, Season Four: The Search for Three. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dave-chappelle-in-mental-hospital-in-south-africa/303508/4 "2005-05-12T05:28:58Z")
> [@](#): > > **Originally posted by [some NBC affiliate:](http://www.kget.com/entertainment/story.aspx?content_id=863FA6DF-B398-4BA9-ADC1-4029A1D727A0)** > Last season the show was one of Comedy Central’s biggest draws, averaging more than three million viewers, twice as many as Comedy Central’s Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Perhaps the man simply realized that he’s hurting America? Sorry. Man in distress. Not funny. Not necessarily in that order. Again, sorry. I’ll shut up now. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dave-chappelle-in-mental-hospital-in-south-africa/303508/5 "2005-05-12T06:59:00Z")
Must have been hanging with [Martin Lawrence](http://www.eonline.com/On/Holly/Shows/Lawrence/)!! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Kenneth\_Noisewater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@Dr.Kenneth\_Noisewater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Kenneth_Noisewater)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dave-chappelle-in-mental-hospital-in-south-africa/303508/6 "2005-05-12T09:10:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoting an unnamed source “close to the situation,” Entertainment Weekly said Wednesday that the comedian flew to South Africa late last month and voluntarily checked himself into the undisclosed facility Sounds like the beginnings of a good practical joke. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dave-chappelle-in-mental-hospital-in-south-africa/303508/7 "2005-05-12T11:28:26Z")
Er, why would someone fly all the way to South Africa to check themselves in for psychiatric treatment? Actually, maybe that makes the story _more_ plausible—it’s something you’d have to be mentally unbalanced to do. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dave-chappelle-in-mental-hospital-in-south-africa/303508/8 "2005-05-12T13:23:56Z")
[AP’s hopping on](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7821711/). Does South Africa has some sort of concentration of treatment facilities, or is it merely the seclusion—or both? ---
**Author:** ![NothingMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b77776/32.png) [@NothingMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NothingMan)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dave-chappelle-in-mental-hospital-in-south-africa/303508/9 "2005-05-12T13:46:00Z")
Just wanted to point out I called this story in [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=315209) thread yesterday morning. Its not often I scoop this board darn it! ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dave-chappelle-in-mental-hospital-in-south-africa/303508/10 "2005-05-12T13:48:54Z")
He’s not crazy, they committed him when, at the customs area, he kept saying, “I’m Rick James, bitch!” The show will have to be cancelled, one of the only “must see” shows I like on 500 goddamn channels, something this good just couldn’t last. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dave-chappelle-in-mental-hospital-in-south-africa/303508/11 "2005-05-12T14:20:00Z")
> [@Duke of Rat](#): > > The show will have to be cancelled, one of the only “must see” shows I like on 500 goddamn channels, something this good just couldn’t last. Why will the show have to be cancelled? ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dave-chappelle-in-mental-hospital-in-south-africa/303508/12 "2005-05-12T14:26:50Z")
> [@Happy Lendervedder](#): > > Why will the show have to be cancelled? Because it’s “one of the only “must see” shows I like on 500 goddamn channels”. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dave-chappelle-in-mental-hospital-in-south-africa/303508/13 "2005-05-12T14:42:53Z")
> [@Joe K](#): > > [AP’s hopping on](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7821711/). > > Does South Africa has some sort of concentration of treatment facilities, or is it merely the seclusion—or both? That’s what I was going to ask. They don’t have mental health treatment facilities in the NorthEastern US? What’s so special about South Africa? ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2005, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dave-chappelle-in-mental-hospital-in-south-africa/303508/14 "2005-05-12T14:48:18Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > That’s what I was going to ask. They don’t have mental health treatment facilities in the NorthEastern US? What’s so special about South Africa? Maybe Chappelle is tired of being recognized everywhere, mobbed by fans, treated like a celebrity, etc., and wanted to go somewhere where he could keep a lower profile. I know I’ve read interviews where he said he hates everyone saying “I’m Rick James, bitch!” and his various Li’l Jon catch phrases when they meet him. Whether he is using drugs or not, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s getting burned out by his relatively sudden success, plus the pressure of topping the last season of Chappelle’s Show (and the big money contract he apparently signed).