Dave Chappelle May or May Not Have Online Show in the Works

The Daily is an iPad-only news publication brought to you by Rupert Murdoch’s global media conglomerate News Corporation (which, from a business perspective, may or may not be doing very well). Soo Youn is a report at The Daily who wrote a story earlier today about an “insider” who “tattled” and said Dave Chappelle is coming back to the world of show business via the web.

Youn wrote that six years after Chappelle walked away from a $50 million deal with Comedy Central to continue his eponymous Show, he’s planning another one. The comedian is back on tour reportedly perfecting his act for a program to be distributed by a Netflix (because the company recently inked a deal for David Fincher and Kevin Spacey’s series House of Cards) or a Crackle (because the company picked up the star-studded original web series Backwash).

The news got people very excited! So, is the guy who created the most popular catch phrase of Spring Break 2004 (the Lil Jon “What?!” for all those not paying attention) really going to create and star in a web TV skein? Probably not!

Chapelle’s publicist Carla Simms is telling reporters the story has no legs and whoever tattled to The Daily now needs to change his or her pants because they’re on fire. There’s still a chance a show could happen, of course. Maybe Chappelle will be encouraged by all the press or maybe the dude who once ran away from a huge payday for a respite in Africa just changed his mind and will change it back.

Regardless, I think the whole ordeal raises at least one decent observation. In all the coverage I read, not a single journalist wrote “WTF is he thinking?” We’re at a point in the entertainment industry when news of a mainstream celebrity who commands eight-figure checks decides to bypass television and go online isn’t jaw-dropping or absurd. It’s news, for sure. Big news, even, but it’s believable and at least semi-realistic. Simms might have temporarily squashed the dreams of everyone who wanted to see a reprise of the greatest Prince impression of all time, but soon these types of news stories will evolve from the status of bunk to real.

On a different note, will all this hullabaloo turn more people onto The Daily?