How Did Prince React to Dave Chappelle’s Sketch About Him in ‘Chappelle’s Show’?
Though there are plenty of hilarious episodes of Chappelle’s Show for fans to enjoy, one of the most memorable is undoubtedly the one about Prince. In Season 2 of the show, the late Charlie Murphy regaled viewers with a story about his first-ever encounter with the late artist. Dave Chappelle himself played the “Purple Rain” singer and the result was one of the most hilarious episodes of the show on record. But how did the musician react to the sketch?
Fans of Chappelle’s Show will recall that the sketch opens with Murphy meeting Prince in the club. After the chance meeting, Murphy and his crew are invited back to the singer’s home to hang out with women and listen to music. However, when the songwriter finds himself bored, he challenges Murphy and his friends to a game of basketball.
Fans of ‘Chappelle’s Show’ loved the episode about Prince
Amused, Murphy assumes that the musician can’t play basketball, namely because of his androgynous appearance. Furthermore, when Prince and his friends show up ready to play in the same fancy clothes that they went clubbing in, Murphy assumes that he and his crew will be able to beat the “Delirious” singer easily. But, as fans of Chappelle’s Show will recall, the singer surprised Murphy by being remarkably good at basketball and easily won the game before serving his guests pancakes.
Part of what makes the sketch so incredibly hilarious is Chappelle’s depiction of Prince. However, the comedian originally wanted Prince to be in the sketch. In a 2016 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Donnell Rawlings, who was a cast member on Chappelle’s Show, revealed that the comedian extended an invitation to the musician to be a part of the sketch but he declined.
Dave Chappelle wanted the ‘Purple Rain’ singer to appear in the sketch
“Dave wanted Prince to be in the sketch, and he asked him about it and Prince told Dave, ‘Yeah, nah,'” Rawlings shared laughing. “And that’s true to Prince’s fashion with dialogue. You’ll probably never hear of Prince talking more than three sentences.” But even though Prince declined an invitation to be in the sketch the artist was very amused by how the sketch turned out. In fact, Rawlings shared that Chappelle and Prince were able to build a friendship after the episode aired.
“He thought it was hilarious,” Rawlings stated about how the “1999” artist reacted to the sketch. “And I think really built a friendship after that sketch.” Of course, the famous musician wasn’t the only one who was highly amused by Chappelle’s portrayal of him in the sketch. Even the cast of Chappelle’s Show had a hard time keeping it together when they were first confronted with Chappelle’s depiction of Prince.
Prince loved the sketch and found it hilarious
“It was so funny. It was a 6-foot Prince,” Rawlings shared. “Just to see him walk in, in that purple outfit, with the blouse and wig — the entire set just lost their sh*t.” Rawlings continued on to share that the sketch will remain a part of Prince’s legacy. “Prince is much larger than a sketch, but just showing what Chappelle’s Show did for the art form, when you mention Prince and his music, there is no way to get around that groundbreaking sketch.”
It seems that Prince appreciated Chappelle’s sketch just as much as his fans did. While we wish we could’ve seen commentary about the sketch from the late artist, it’s great to know that he was amused by it.
