‘Chappelle’s Show’ alum Donnell Rawlings is all right with being called mild

This year has been one of the most triumphant for comedian and Chappelle’s Show alum Donnell Rawlings.

Back in February, 30 years into his career, the D.C. comedian delivered his first comedy special, Chappelle’s Home Team - Donnell Rawlings: A New Day, in collaboration with friend Dave Chappelle.

“I think every time I did [the routine] I was the funniest I could be in the moment,” Rawlings said. “But [Chappelle] being so critical and understanding, this was a big deal. He thought a little deeper than I did.”

Chappelle, whose own Netflix show has been criticized for jokes perceived to be transphobic, scrapped the show’s initial version, claiming it was too outdated for a post-COVID release. The second attempt was marred by production issues. But after shooting the final iteration in November 2023, Rawlings said it was worth the wait.

But not everyone was pleased. Fellow comic Corey Holcomb called A New Day “mild” on his podcast, 5150.

Inspired by the discourse, Rawlings named his new comedy tour “Black and Mild.”

“People try to use the word ‘mild’ as an insult. But I’m over 50 years old, I don’t even like hot sauce. I get heartburn,” Rawlings joked. “There’s nothing wrong with walking the line, but not pushing it. That’s where my comedy is.”

Before the comedian takes the stage at Helium Comedy Club this weekend, we talked to Rawlings about hot sauce, his famous phrase “I’m rich b—” , and the makings of a successful comedian in the social media age.

The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

It’s good and it’s going to continue. The only thing that we can do is try to evolve, especially as a standup and artist. We have to be the best we can and give the people what they want. And I don’t think I’ll ever hit the max. I’m always going to try to go to the next level.

It’s just like my special, A New Day. Like the Nina Simone song “Feeling Good,” I came out to in the special. As long as you can get up, you have the opportunity to be a better person. I have been doing it for 30 years, and it just feels like I’m constantly evolving and testing myself to be good.

The notes that I’ve taken from Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle are that anything is possible. And if you work hard enough, you can be in a situation where you can say, “I’m rich, b—!” and fill arenas.

There’s been some good and some bad. The good is people recognize my voice from that phrase, but the bad is when I go with my friends to dinner, they don’t even open their wallets. They look at me like, “I thought you were rich, b—.”

If it happened 20 years ago with me not having a name and trying to introduce myself to the world as a good standup, it would have been like a calling card. But [this time] it felt more like a reward for the people who felt like I deserved [a special]. One of those people is [Chappelle]. Of course, I’ll reap the benefits of the special, but I felt it was more for my fans and my people.

I don’t think anything was missing. I think every time I did it I was the funniest I could be in the moment. But [Chappelle] being so critical, and understanding this was a big deal, he thought a little deeper than I did. The first time I did it I knew it was funny, but [Chapelle] told me, “Donnell, you’re one of the funniest guys I know. You’d rip any room, but it doesn’t make it a great special.” The second time we did it, I took his notes. But then we had issues with the production of it. But there was never a high level of frustration. I knew as long as I stayed in the game, I had an opportunity. A lot of times people don’t get multiple opportunities to do that, but [Chappelle] believed in me enough and the product I could produce. And we got it together. I have no regrets.

The last time I was in L.A., I went to this club and [Holcomb] was there. The first thing I asked him was how I could be on his podcast. He said, “Yo D, why do you have something against me?” I said, “Bro, you can’t say that. I have always shown you love.” My only issue was why he felt the need to put down some of the people who are moving the culture of comedy. He agreed with me, so I’m going to do his show.

It’s unfortunate because a lot of this discourse is in the Black community. For some reason, the Black comedy community thinks [only] one comic can make it at a time. And a lot of times they don’t support each other. There’s room for everybody. There are different styles and genres of comedy.

One of the hottest things now is social media influencers transitioning to stand-up. They have the platform because people want to see them. Then you have [their] crowd work, which I’m not a huge fan of. It’s a muscle in itself, but it was shunned back when I was coming up because it usually meant a comic didn’t have an act. But I don’t knock it.

We can try to save the world and save the hood all we want, [but] you’re not going to do it. Take care of yourself and take care of your family. There’s nothing you can do to change the mentality. It’s always going to be there. All you can do is not let it affect you and to do what you feel is right for you.

A lot of people my age think, “These young guns coming up don’t respect the art.” But when I started, if you wanted to be rich or famous off of this, you had to be good. That was the only way you could get noticed. But nowadays, these kids are making hundreds of thousands of dollars a month, and have no incentive to be good. You can’t tell them to work on that joke. They are like, “I heard what you said. But I just made one click and made $10,000.” But if you’re a real comic, you can protect the craft by being good and evolving.

It all depends. One of the comedians that I came up with hated shows when a YouTube guy would come on behind him. He wouldn’t go to these shows. But I told him, “Get your money, go to the show, and teach him a lesson.” Things change.

It’s a little rougher. This is a tough city. And one thing about a tough city is they give you a hard time. But when they love you, they love you. I give them every reason to love me. I have always performed well in Philly. Philly has always been a great audience for me. I’m a tough comic who’s built for a tough city.

Donnell Rawlings at Helium Comedy Club, 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 7 p.m. Sunday, Helium Comedy Club, 2031 Sansom St., Phila. https://philadelphia.heliumcomedy.com/events/90605