RELATED: Why Dave Chappelle Walked Away From $50 Million Dollars …
Instead, Chappelle famously walked away from the series and a $50 million paycheck. He abruptly left during production in 2006, effectively breaking his contract with Comedy Central. He was reportedly unhappy with the direction the show had taken and needed to step away.
But there has been one person who has been with the comedian through it all and that's his wife, Elaine.
Dave and Elaine Chappelle Prioritize Family Over Money
In an interview with Time, Chappelle spoke about moving to Ohio and walking away from his show, saying, "Coming here, I don't have the distractions of fame. It quiets the ego down. I'm interested in the kind of person I've got to become. I want to be well-rounded, and the industry is a place of extremes. I want to be well-balanced. I've got to check my intentions, man.”
RELATED: Best Dating Quotes to to Keep You Motivated in Your Search for Love
There was much speculation during this time in Chappelle’s life. Fans couldn’t fathom the idea that he’d walk away from his popular and successful show and $50 million. People thought he must have a drug or alcohol problem. Others thought it was a mental health issue that led comedian Dave Chappelle to walk away from it all. That wasn’t the case at all. Chappelle simply reprioritized his life in a way that was better for himself and his family.
Through the media circus that followed Dave Chappelle’s wife Elaine Mendoza stood by him. Dave and Elaine have been married for 21 years. They tied the knot in 2001 and have two sons, Sulayman and Ibrahim, and one daughter, Sanaa.
Who is Elaine Chappelle?
Goalcast Archive
Dave Chappelle’s wife Elaine Mendoza was born on August 31, 1974, to devout Christian Filipino parents. (Dave converted to Islam in 1991.) She grew up in Brooklyn and according to various sources, once planned to become a professional chef. Dave and Elaine Chappelle met more than 20 years ago, so she would have been in her 20s. After meeting and falling in love with Dave Chappelle, Elaine chose to devote herself to raising the couple’s three children.
How Did Dave Chappelle and Elaine Meet?
Goalcast Archive
During an interview with Howard Stern in the early 2000s, Dave Chappelle revealed that he met his then-girlfriend Elaine Mendoza in Brooklyn and at the time he said she was pregnant with his baby. He said that he was immediately interested in her, but she took some time to get to know Dave before committing to the relationship.
RELATED: Dave Chappelle Talks About His Worst Experience
He also revealed that she was Filipino, which led Stern and his co-host Robin Quivers to make some distasteful jokes about Asian stereotypes. Up until this point Dave Chappelle had been a regular guest on Stern’s show and even credited the exposure Stern gave him with helping his career. After they made those so-called jokes about the future Elaine Chappelle, he has continually refused to ever appear on Stern’s show again. Though he publicly says it’s because the show tapes too early in the morning, it feels like he's showing where his loyalties lie – with his wife Elaine Chappelle.
Elaine is Dave Chappelle’s Support System
Goalcast Archive
Dave and Elaine Chappelle have a strong marriage that has lasted more than two decades so far. Over the years, Dave Chappelle has made many comments about how his wife is his support system. In his final interview with Howard Stern, Chappelle said, “She was with me when I was poor.”
For a celebrity like Chappelle, it is especially important to have a strong support system in place. Fans and the media can be brutal to a public figure like Elaine Chappelle’s husband. She has been with Dave through some rocky parts of his career including when he walked away from Chappelle’s Show and the more recent controversy over the anti-trans content in his standup routine.
RELATED: Relationship Goals: Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel Stepped Back to Leap Forward
He appreciates the perspective Elaine Chappelle brings to his life and said, "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.”
Speaking of that $50 million Chappelle walked away from when he quit Chapelle’s Show and voided his contract with Comedy Central – Chappelle did an interview with Conan O’Brien in 2006 during which he talked about it, saying, “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.”
Where the Married Couple is Today
Goalcast Archive
Dave and Elaine Chappelle and their three children live on a 65-acre farm in Yellow Springs, Ohio, which is located about 20 miles from the Dayton Metropolitan area. In 2006, Chappelle said, “I used to be cable’s hottest star and now I’m just a Yellow Springs guy. It turns out you don't need $50 million to live around these parts, just a nice smile and a kind way about you. You guys are the best neighbors ever. That's why I came back and that's why I'm staying.”
RELATED: Why Setting Relationship Goals Is Important And How To Do It
Chappelle grew up in Yellow Springs, where his father was the dean of students at Antioch College.
By all accounts, Dave and Elaine Chappelle are living a peaceful, quiet, and normal life in Ohio with their children. She keeps out of the spotlight and doesn’t have any social media accounts. They appear to be a grounded couple with mutual love and respect for each other and that’s a beautiful thing.
The 3 P's: Why Travel Matters for Your Personal Growth
A few weeks ago I sat down in a busy coffee shop, cracked open my laptop, and decided to Google “Most underrated places worth visiting.” To my surprise, Granada, Nicaragua came up twice. Images of the Spanish colonial-style buildings, awash in orange clay and pale yellows, were all I needed to figure out the next place to have my passport stamped. The oldest city in Central America seemed to be calling my name.
The most common question asked when I shared the news of my impromptu adventure was, “Why?” Some friends seemed dumbfounded, while others were unsettled by my decision to visit the second poorest country in the western hemisphere. I received the same suspicious glances when I set out to see Haiti, Nepal, and a small village in South Africa. Still, I took their misgivings in stride, convinced each corner of the globe offered worthwhile experiences and lessons to be learned.
Whether you decide to see the Roman Pantheon, the Great Wall of China, or venture just beyond your zip code, traveling matters a great deal for your personal growth. And as far as I can see there are three main reasons why -- I call them "the three P's."
The 3 P's: Why Travel Matters for Your Personal Growth
1. People
Four days into my trip I met up with the uncle of a friend back in California. After a quick breakfast in downtown Granada, I returned to find an older gentleman milling around the front of the house I was staying at. He stood about 5"6', sported a thick flannel shirt, and proudly wore a bright red hat with the Canadian maple leaf sprawled across the crown. “I’m Raymundo,” he said before offering a hug.
Minutes later, he whisked me away to a small beach town called El Transito -- the kind of place you hear about, where making it hinges on navigating choppy back roads and being able to forfeit fluffy towels and mints on your pillow. El Transito is so remote that many of the locals in Granada have never even heard of it.
But during our time together I learned a great deal about the man I’d eventually refer to as “Uncle Ray.” He regaled me with stories of his childhood in Managua, raising two boys, and the highs and lows of being a pediatrician in a country with a wildly imperfect health care system. We talked sports, politics, and all the places we’d visited between us. Each time I took at peek at the driver’s seat Raymundo was beaming, as it dawned on me in our two hours together I’d never seen the man not smile.
Soon enough we were sitting in a cozy little hideaway watching the waves rise and fall off in the distance as a hot plate of fish and chips sat in front of us. We talked in between bites as I looked off to see a few patches of ominous-looking clouds racing towards us. “I think it’s going to rain,” I told him. Uncle Ray just smiled and took another carefree sip of his beer. This guy’s got it all figured out, I thought.
After an email or two I’d met a person from another country with a unique view of the world. My journey had allowed me to challenge the assumptions I held about a community and its people. And through our connection, my life had become enlightened and far richer.
2. Patience
Years ago, I paid homage to the land my great-grandfather left for America: Sicily. While thumbing through a Lonely Planet guidebook one hot afternoon, I searched for a bus to take me to a beach just outside of Syracuse.
For nearly 30 minutes I watched my driver-to-be argue with a man I gathered was known in town for stirring up a little trouble. I was hot, tired, and after a long train ride anxious to soak my feet in the Ionian Sea. But after a few minutes a strange thing began to happen -- my frustration gave way to a sense of peace. I realized there was nothing I could do about this frustrating, and in hindsight, rather comical episode.
I’d experienced similar tests before in various parts of the world. Whether waiting for the power to be turned back on in Nepal, water to be restored in South Africa, or for a seemingly unending security check to move along at the Bosnia-Herzegovina border, each incident tried my patience in unique ways. Ultimately, I was nudged to consider the world didn’t work on my time line. I learned to stop prioritizing the urgent over the important and started to look beyond my own needs.
3. Perspective
After Granada, I traveled to a popular tourist destination on Nicaragua’s southwest coast. On the way my bus weaved through narrow roads, hugging the vibrant and lush countryside of this Central American gem. It was one of the most beautiful rides I could remember.
But as soon as I’d set my bag down in my hostel in San Juan del Sur, I found myself planted in front of my laptop, an all-too-familiar place. I sat impatiently waiting for the spotty WiFi to connect me to the world I was trying to unplug from. I griped and grumbled as the waves of the Pacific Ocean rose and fell literally 100 feet from my room.
Fortunately, I collected myself long enough to consider the scooter ride I’d taken the day before in Granada, and the depths of poverty I’d casually rode past. I was complaining about email when 24 hours before I saw children wearing tattered clothes and covered in dirt. I was reminded that someone somewhere will always be facing greater challenges than me, and though travel may not be an antidote to the world’s problems, it can offer a dose of perspective. When our awareness is heightened, our ambivalence begins to gradually erode. And through greater consciousness, we can find ways to lend a hand, however big or small.
So wherever you choose to venture off to, remember to protect your curiosity, to be bold but not reckless, and flexible enough in your thinking to reap the treasures this remarkable world has to offer.