DAVE CHAPPELLE DISHES ON FAME, FORTUNE AND HIS CONTROVERSIAL HIATUS WITH HOST JAMES LIPTON OF 'INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO' IN HIS FIRST TWO-HOUR INTERVIEW SINCE RETURNING TO THE SPOTLIGHT

DAVE CHAPPELLE DISHES ON FAME, FORTUNE AND HIS CONTROVERSIAL HIATUS WITH HOST JAMES LIPTON OF 'INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO' IN HIS FIRST TWO-HOUR INTERVIEW SINCE RETURNING TO THE SPOTLIGHT

SPECIAL TWO-HOUR PREMIERE AIRS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12 FROM 8:00 - 10:00 PM/ET

New York, NY - February 8, 2006 - Bravo welcomes one of comedy's most intriguing and influential performers to the stage for his first two-hour interview since his much-publicized hiatus from the entertainment world. Chappelle sits down with host James Lipton for this special two-hour interview on Sunday, February 12, 8:00 - 10:00 PM/ET.

Chappelle first debuted his comedic talents at the age of fourteen while studying acting and literary media at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. He made a name for himself on "Def Comedy Jam" on HBO and then moved into film, appearing in "Robin Hood: Men in Tights," "You've Got Mail," "Half Baked," and "Con Air." Chapelle's fame skyrocketed with the success of the Comedy Central hit "Chappelle's Show."

During his interview with Lipton, Chappelle candidly speaks on a range of topics:

ON WHY THE AUDIENCE WAITED FOR THREE HOURS WHILE HE WAS DELAYED ON HIS WAY TO HIS FIRST TAPED INTERVIEW:

�"Everybody's waiting to see how crazy I am, huh?"

ON ALL THE FUSS AROUND HIM WALKING AWAY FROM 50 MILLION DOLLARS:

�"I did two seasons [of "Chappelle's Show"] and it was very easy, not very easy, but I didn't go to Africa. And then suddenly when I was getting paid what they said was fifty million dollars. . . I can't do it anymore...?...Nobody knows, nobody remembers that I walked away from the show twice last season... Nobody asked about that."

ON WHY HE WENT TO AFRICA AFTER LEAVING COMEDY CENTRAL:

�"I knew that in Africa I'd have a place to sleep - and when they would call me crack head and all these things in the country where I'm from - in Africa, they didn't know anything."

�"[My father] said 'Name your price at the beginning. If it ever gets more expensive than the price you named, get out of there.' Thus....Africa."

ON CHAIN SMOKING THROUGHOUT THE INTERVIEW:

�"I don't know about y'all, but this s--t is stressing me out!"

ON BLACK CULTURE:

�"You know I mean a lot of white kids...you get things like therapy. We don't have that. We have liquor stores and weed."

�"Every black American is bilingual. We speak street vernacular and we speak job interview."

TO JAMES LIPTON REGARDING THE THOUGHT PROCESS TO WRITING "HALF BAKED":

�"I can't remember...I was high man. I was high."

ON THE PERKS OF DOING STAND UP COMEDY:

�"To watch a comedian bomb is one of the greatest things in the world. I love it."

�"Pretty girl in school might look at me and be like 'Oh Dave, he's so funny, but I wouldn't date him.' But at night, I date women your mother's age if I want to."

ON THE RUMORS SURROUNDING HIS LEAVE:

�"The worst thing to call somebody is crazy. It's dismissive. I don't understand this person, so they're crazy."

HIS PREDICTION TO STUDENTS THAT FAME'S PRESSURES MIGHT GET TO THEM TOO:

�"Just get your Africa tickets ready baby, because it's coming...it's coming."

ON THE DOWNSIDE OF FAME:

�"You know if you're Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston and your marriage is breaking up, that's an awful thing. But to see the speculation of people, that's got to sting a little bit."

�"There's really no going back. You can't get unfamous. You can get infamous, but you can't get unfamous."

�"I don't know how this whole Dave Chappelle thing is going to end. But I feel like I'm going to be some kind of parable by either what you're supposed to do or what you're not supposed to do. I'm going to be something. I'm either going to be a legend or just that tragic f----ng story."

Bravo is the cable network that plugs people into arts, entertainment and pop culture with original programming, acclaimed off-network dramas, comedy and music specials, movies and by showing a whole different side of celebrities. Currently available in more than 80 million homes, Bravo is known for breaking exciting new personalities, shaking up the way we look at style, media, fame and Hollywood, pulling back the curtain on the creative process and making influential and inventive original programming. Its critically acclaimed and award-winning original programming includes "Inside the Actors Studio," "Project Runway," "Celebrity Poker Showdown," and "Blow Out" as well as the 2004 Emmy winner for Outstanding Reality Program, "Queer Eye." The network's latest hits include "Being Bobby Brown" and "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List."