Dave Chappelle, whose 2021 Netflix comedy special “The Closer” set of a firestorm of criticism for its trans-phobic content, is mostly behind the scenes on his latest Netflix project: “Chappelle’s Home Team,” a series of four stand-alone comedy specials, with the first premiering on Feb. 28.
Netflix announced Friday that Chappelle serves as executive producer of the “Chappelle’s Home Team” specials, featuring comedians chosen and spotlighted by the “Chappelle’s Show” creator. Chappelle — who is also set to appear at Netflix’s “Netflix Is a Joke” stand-up comedy festival in April — will appear in each installment to introduce the veteran comics, all of whom have been in the business for more than 30 years.
The first comedian to be featured is Earthquake, and he stars in a special titled “Earthquake Legendary.” According to a statement, “Earthquake shakes up the stage and delivers aftershocks while going in hard on health as wealth, prostate cancer and disciplining kids.”
Donnell Rawlings will be featured in the second special, a date for which will be announced at a future time. The comics featured in the last two specials have not yet been revealed.
“I’ve been doing this a long time and comedians like Quake and Donnell are not only friends but have inspired my own career. Anyone in the comedy community knows these names and knows their time to shine is long overdue. I am proud to be a part of this moment,” Chappelle said in a statement.
The specials are directed by Emmy and Grammy award winner Stan Lathan. Executive producers include Chappelle, Earthquake, Rikki Hughes, Stan Lathan and Jermaine Smith.
According to his bio in the statement, Comedian Earthquake currently appears in recurring roles on The Neighborhood for CBS, Johnson for the Bounce network and South Side for HBO Max. Earthquake has also landed a development deal for a project with the CBS network. Additionally, he is in his fourth season as the host of Quakeshouse, the uber popular radio show for Sirius XM Channel 96, produced by Kevin Hart’s LOL Radio Network. Earthquake is represented by Innovative Artists.
