After making himself a name in the industry with his role in HBO’s ‘Def Comedy Jam’ in 1992, Dave Chappelle took part in multi-million projects throughout his career, including his own series, ‘Chapelle’s Show on Comedy Central.’
The comedian left the show after two seasons due to some conflicts about its direction and work hours. Although he lost a $50 million deal because of his departure, Netflix reportedly paid him $60 million for three standup specials in 2016.
This sum ended up being one of the largest deals a comedian ever received. Following that, Chappelle appeared in some critically acclaimed works like ‘A Star is Born’ and teamed up with other comedians, like Jon Stewart and Aziz Ansari, for standup shows.
Despite these projects, the actor couldn’t leave Jerry Seinfeld behind to become the richest comedian. As of 2023, Celebrity Net Worth reported his net worth to be $60 million.
In recent years, Chappelle faced a lot of criticism and backlash from the public over some of his jokes about transgender people, as, in one example, he said:
“Gender is a fact. Every human being in this room, every human being on Earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on Earth. This is a fact.”
Still, the comedian won the Grammy for Best Comedy Album earlier this year with his 2021 standup special, ‘The Closer.’