Dave Chappelle says 'Key & Peele' 'hurts my feelings'
Comics Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele created "Key & Peele" for Comedy Central in 2012 and the show ran for three years to high acclaim, including winning two primetime Emmys. But Chappelle believes their sketch comedy found an audience thanks to the path his show forged.
"When I did 'Chappelle's Show,' there were certain conventions of the show that the network resisted," Chappelle told Gayle King during an interview on 'CBS This Morning,' coinciding with the release of his new Netflix comedy specials. "And I fought the network very hard so that those conventions could come to fruition. So like the first episode, I do that black/white supremacist sketch. And it's like, 'Well, that's 10 minutes long. It should be five minutes long.' Why should it be five minutes long? Like, these types of conventions. I fought very hard... So when I watch 'Key & Peele' and I see they're doing a format that I created, and at the end of the show, it says, 'Created by Key and Peele,' that hurts my feelings."
Key and Peele have used their success to move on to burgeoning movie careers. Key starred in the indie hit "Don't Think Twice" and is now filming the next "Predator" movie. And Peele is currently soaking in the praise for his directorial debut, "Get Out."Comics have always been competitive with one another, so Chappelle's comments are pretty commonplace for that world. But at the same time, almost every comic has been inspired by someone before them. In the past, Chappelle has given praise to "Saturday Night Live" and even Hugh Hefner when speaking about things that inspired "Chappelle's Show."
And it's not like Key and Peele have not kissed Chappelle's ring. In interviews they did while "Key & Peele" was on the air, they said how much Chappelle was an influence.
Here's what they said during a 2012 AMA: "We are very influenced by 'Chappelle's Show.' The Rick James Sketch is transcendent. He opened a lot of doors."
Chappelle also talked to King about missing his old Comedy Central show and his thoughts on fame.
Watch the entire "CBS This Morning" Chappelle interview below: