POLLYWOOD
HOLLYWOOD ON THE POTOMAC
Dave Chappelle is joined onstage at the Cafe Milano after party by Cafe Milano co-hosts Franco Nuschese (left), BET founder Bob Johnson, United Arab Emirates Amb. Yousef Al Otaiba, harmonicist Frederic Yonnet and comedian Donnell Rawlings
CHEERS TO CHAPPELLE Sound bites from a night filled with laughs as comedian and Washington native Dave Chappelle claims the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor PHOTOS BY TO N Y P OW EL L AN D CO U RT ESY O F TH E K E NNE DY C E NT E R
W
Aziz Ansari and Lorne Michaels
Elaine and Dave Chappelle
Michael and Iris Smith
Samira Baraki, Leon Robinson and Tracey Otey Blunt
Yasiin Bey “Mos Def”
20
hether it’s at one of his pop-up comedy shows or famed Juke Joint concerts-cum-stand-up-routines, funnyman Dave Chappelle has never had trouble drawing a crowd. So, it was no surprise that a huge audience and stacked line-up of celebrities came out to support the comedian as he received the Kennedy Center’s prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The weekend’s events began on Saturday night at the National Museum of African American History and Culture with an intimate dinner and ended with an all-night rager at Cafe Milano, where at 5 a.m. a handful of District police officers reluctantly shut the party down. At a small dinner hosted by Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter and Chairman David Rubenstein, Chappelle was given a first edition of Mark Twain’s work by Rutter, who said “Tonight it’s not just a big happy reunion party for you, but it’s a way for us to say thank you for all that you have done and all that you will continue to do in the future.” The television special of the ceremony will air on PBS stations on Jan. 7. >>
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| H O L I D AY | washingtonlife.com
