Dave Chappelle Honors David Letterman at Exclusive Doc Screening
At the 23rd annual Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, comedy fans — including David Letterman himself — were treated to something rare: a private screening of Dave Chappelle: Live in Real Life , a documentary that has never been released to the public. The film, co-directed by Steven Bognar and the late Julia Reichert, captures Chappelle’s iconic cornfield comedy shows in Yellow Springs, Ohio, during the pandemic.
Also Read:The project had first premiered at Radio City Music Hall in 2021 for Tribeca Festival, but controversy over trans jokes in Chappelle’s Netflix special The Closer stalled its distribution. Rather than let it vanish, Chappelle took it on the road, pairing screenings with live comedy performances.
This latest showing opened with an introduction from Bognar, who recalled how Chappelle reached out in 2020 when the world shut down. The murder of George Floyd and the surge of Black Lives Matter protests had heavily influenced Chappelle’s decision to host the outdoor, socially distanced shows, which became a model for live entertainment in a time of fear and isolation. Audience members laughed and cheered as the film rolled, watching behind-the-scenes moments with friends like Jon Stewart, Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, and yes — David Letterman. Musical performances from Common, Erykah Badu, Talib Kweli, and Questlove were also woven in, as well as tender glimpses of Chappelle mentoring younger comics like Michelle Wolf and Mo Amer.
When the credits ended, Chappelle himself stepped onstage in a suit and sneakers, joking that he hadn’t realized a public talkback was planned because he “didn’t read the brochure.” Speaking candidly, he said the shows were his way of ensuring his voice was heard during an extraordinary time. He then turned to the crowd and gave Letterman a heartfelt shoutout, thanking him for visiting the cornfield shows and featuring him on My Next Guest Needs No . Letterman, taking the mic, returned the love — telling the audience that in his view, Chappelle is the gold standard for comedians.
Chappelle fielded audience questions with humor, poking fun at how his Grammy and Emmy snubs were blamed on his trans jokes, despite his continued success. He sidestepped a conspiracy-laced query about antisemitism, but closed on a reflective note, crediting the Duke Ellington School of the Arts for giving him a strong sense of community and identity during the turbulent crack epidemic years. That same commitment to community, he said, drove his efforts during COVID and brought him to Martha’s Vineyard to support his school.
And even as this documentary remains unseen by the public, Chappelle continues to host his annual Summer Camp shows in Yellow Springs — keeping that spirit alive, in the same cornfields where it all began.
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