Who Is Dave Chappelle’s Wife, Elaine Chappelle?
Dave Chappelle’s wife has been mentioned in several of the comedian‘s stand-up specials. With a career spanning more than 20 years, that’s a lot of time to cover when it comes to Chappelle’s personal life and marriage.
So who is Dave Chappelle’s wife? Here’s everything about Elaine Chappelle.
Who is Elaine Chappelle?
Dave Chappelle’s wife Elaine Chappelle was born Elaine Mendoza Erfe on Aug. 31, 1974. She was raised in Brooklyn, New York by devout Christian Filipino parents.
As a kid, Elaine Chappelle reportedly had dreams of becoming a chef. But her interests seemed to change later in life. It’s unclear when she met the comedian, but Dave Chappelle told Howard Stern in an old interview that he and Elaine first crossed paths in Brooklyn, New York.
A Washington D.C. native, Dave Chappelle moved to New York after he graduated high school in the early 1990s to pursue his career. After he met Elaine Chappelle, the two struck up a romance and dated for a while before tying the knot in 2001.
The couple went on to have three children: sons Sulayman and Ibrahim and daughter Sanaa. Elaine rarely makes public appearances and does not maintain any public social media accounts. However, Dave Chappelle includes photos of her in the closing montages of his Netflix comedy specials.
Where do Dave and Elaine Chappelle live?
The Chappelles live in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where the comedian spent parts of his childhood. Dave’s father taught vocal performance and acted as dean of students at Antioch College in Yellow Springs.
Dave and Elaine Chappelle own a 65-acre farm there. The comedian has hosted several concerts and comedy festivals in the area since purchasing the property.
The elusive star — who famously left his hit sketch series Chappelle’s Show in 2005 in favor of a simpler life — told CBS News in 2017 that he loves how quiet Ohio is and suggested they’ll never move.
“I’ll be reminded that I’m a celebrity here, but I don’t think about it at all until somebody asks me for a selfie or something. It won’t even occur to me that that’s what it is. … It’s almost like a nature reserve where they’ll let me run free,” he explained. “I’m a protected commodity.”
Dave Chappelle occasionally talks about his wife
Though Dave Chappelle generally keeps his comments on his personal life to a minimum, he sometimes mentions his wife in his standups and to the press. He told Hot 97 in 2017 that Elaine Chappelle is usually the one who alerts him to controversy and backlash that tend to arise from his standups.
“The only way I know about stuff is because everyone else tells me about it,” he explained. “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. I try to keep my business small enough so it can still be authentic enough.”
