The Real Reason Dave Chappelles Wife Keeps Their Life Private
Dave Chappelle is one of the best comedians and one of the most wealthy as well, with a $50 million net worth. But there is something unique about him. While many comedians take a lot of inspiration from their personal lives, Chappelle stays away from sharing anything about his private life. Since his time on his Chappelle's Show ended, the comedian has moved away from Hollywood, lost weight and got really fit, returned to stand-up, and made a Netflix deal. But his stance on privacy hasn't changed. But what is he so private? It's primarily because of his wife.
Dave Chappelle's Wife Elaine Knew Him Before He Was Famous
Elaine Mendoza Erfe Chappelle has been married to Chappelle since 2001. This year is their 20th anniversary. They've been with each other through thick and thin, through all the ups and downs. Speaking to Howard Stern, Chappelle broke his silence about his relationship with his wife... to remind us all why they're private.
"She was with me when I was poor," Chappelle revealed to the radio host. Chappelle also touched on how his wife had helped him through the roughest parts of his life, especially when he infamously dropped Chappelle’s Show in 2006 for some personal reasons.
"My wife, if it gets real bad, she’ll let me know, like, 'Oh, you should look into this.' But for the most part, I try not to pay attention to it because you don’t want to be careful as a comedian," he explained to Stern. "I try to keep my business small enough so it can still be authentic enough."
Chappelle's wife grew up in Brooklyn, where she met Chappelle. When she was a kid, she realized that she wanted to pursue a career as a professional chef when she got older. Ultimately, that dream changed when she and Chappelle had their three children, their sons Sulayman and Ibrahim, and their daughter Sanaa. In 2014, during a stand-up show at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, Chappelle joked, "My wife is Asian, and my kids have somehow turned out to be Puerto Rican." Ironically, Stern made some crude jokes about Chappelle and Elaine while Chappelle was on the radio host's show, making Chappelle decide to never appear again on The Howard Stern Show.
When Chappelle fled the country and Chappelle's Show, many thought the couple's relationship had become rocky, but that wasn't the case. Elaine was mad at her husband for abandoning the show, but she got over it. "My wife’s still a little salty… She’s not mad at me, but don’t think you’re going to walk away from $50 million and your wife’s just gonna be cool with it," told Conan O'Brien.
Why Are The Chappelle's Private?
One of the biggest reasons the Chappelle's are so private is because they want to give their children a normal life. So the family moved to Ohio to a small town called Yellow Springs. In fact, one of the biggest reasons why Chappelle walked away from Chappelle's Show is because of his kids. He wanted to be in their lives more.
"What I did was step off of the main stage. Because those lights were hot, and I was trying to do other things with my life. That kind of attention wouldn't have been conducive to raising a family," Chappelle said, according to People.
Another reason why the couple is so private is that Elaine isn't the biggest fan of the spotlight. Some reports claim that in the Chappelle's early relationship, Elaine was on the fence about being with the comedian because she was scared of being in the public eye. If it's anyone in the relationship who puts their foot down the most about the family's privacy, it's Elaine. She rarely attends events with her husband and never does interviews. There's nothing wrong with that, but in Hollywood, it's strange to hear.
However, the family could be going even more private because Chappelle recently hinted they could be moving to Africa. On Naomi Campbell’s podcast, Chappelle said he might be ready to move back to Africa, and Stevie Wonder made him decide. "He said, 'I am moving to Ghana so that I can be valued and respected more,'" Chappelle said what Wonder told him. "As a Black American, who amongst us is more valued and respected than Stevie Wonder? The idea that he would feel this way at this stage in his life and career… I thought I’ll follow him over there, or I’ll go myself. I’ll do it for him."
It doesn't seem as if the Chappelles will drop their stance on privacy, but hopefully, Chappelle doesn't completely disappear from the spotlight, even if he does move to Africa. He's one of the best, and the world would be a lot less joyful without his excellent jokes.
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