Dave Chappelle is more than one of the most successful comics of his era. He is a revered godfather of his craft. His characters and razor-wit have become part of comedy annals for all time, a rare attribute for a man of 46.

Whether he graces the stage to support Eddie Murphy on his return to ‘SNL’ or just drops in on some weekday night at a local comedy spot, Dave Chappelle always leaves any captive audience thrilled by the surprise, and never knowing what will come next.

The master of comic surprise sprang something no one saw coming in the wee hours of the morning on June 12, as reported by Slate, CBS, and several other sources.

Chappelle shared his most raw, animated and angry response to the George Floyd murder and the ensuing awakening and protest across every ethnicity, age, gender, and population in the street.

As always, Dave Chappelle presented the truth as he saw it in “8:46,” but the numbers in the title referred to something far more visceral than in the news headlines.

Spontaneity not so surprising to Dave Chappelle

Dave Chappelle makes a somewhat routine habit of showing up at local venues near his Ohio home completely unannounced. Just as any veteran comedian can attest, nothing keeps a delivery sharper or material more meaningful than an instant reaction from a crowd. This time, however, Dave prepared viewers in advance that heart-rending personal truth transcended humor on this gig.

The special was filmed some six days ago at a club outside Dayton, and Dave Chappelle could be forgiven for being a little rusty. The disclaimer ran across the screen that this was the first performance in a live show for the funnyman him in 87 days. No worries there, because no rehearsal was necessary.

“This one is history-- it's going to be in the books,” Chappelle professed to his audience.

He frequently referred to pages from his stylish notebook, clearly not wanting to neglect any important points. From that juncture, passion and pain flowed like a fountain.

No celebrities need the spotlight now, says Dave Chappelle

“The protesters are excellent drivers,” Dave Chappelle opened his remarks. “I'm happy to ride in the backseat.” He then alluded to the reality that the broad majority of the social outcries have been completely peaceful, “not even riots” as he offered to one mixed-race group of friends in the crowd.

Much like the efforts of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to defend the protesters, Chappelle adamantly echoes that the last thing the surging wave of social activists need is to see “celebrities” draw the spotlight away from their resilient energy and cause. Other prominent voices, such as Emmanuel Acho, have endeavored to explain why this particular spark to the #BlackLivesMatter movement is so vital and enduring.

Coyly referring to CNN's Don Lemon as “a hotbed of reality,” Dave Chappelle recounts yelling at the TV, daring the host to say his name as one not stepping forward. Chappelle has continuously centered cases of him in his routines. He then calls out conservative sycophant, Candace Owens, for her efforts in “dirtying up” the character of George Floyd.

He has some savory, dirty words for Owens’ anatomy in return. Naturally, the comedian can't leave out Laura Ingraham, either.

Numbers and names matter to Dave Chappelle in very personal ways

“The streets are talking now!” Dave Chapelle exclaims in his loudest moment of the night. Several times he repeats “8 minutes and 46 seconds” before divulging that the numbers denote the humorist’s exact time of birth. No wonder the sight of the horrific crime to George Floyd had to feel like the nearest simulation to death for Dave. He remembered only hearing one other man-- his father-- call out to his mother with his final breaths.

“Who were you talking to?” questions the probing Chappelle of the police officers with their hands in their pockets as Derek Chauvin continued to apply pressure with his knee.

“How can you not get the wrath of God?” he implores regarding the training officer.

In 2017, Dave Chappelle explained to Gayle King why he walked away from huge numbers of dollars on the table for his comedy show. He is an analogy of how the bushmen lure baboons to water by planting treats of salt. After the creatures have their fill in cages, they are released to go straight to the water. The comic genius expressed how he felt success had made him like the baboon in this scenario, and he has thrived on a genuine and very real-life ever since. He is very involved and generous with Allen University and definitely felt right at home with his neighborhood friends during his heartfelt discussion.

“You trust me,” Dave Chappelle rightly announced.

Speaking of trust, Dave Chappelle's audience displayed themselves to be much more deserving of trust then the current administration in Washington. All the outdoor seating was appropriately distanced and masks were the attire for the evening. No one was pretending as if COVID-19 had magically disappeared.

In similar fashion to the eulogy by Rev. Al Sharpton, Dave Chappelle offered his own listing by name of black men killed by violence—most by police, but some by a pedestrian. Tears came to some in attendance.

“None of this is funny,” disclosed Dave Chappelle with a laugh. For this engagement, purpose took a higher bill than the punch lines. This was not just another special among TV Shows. By the way, “8:46” is trending at #2.
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