Dave Chappelle has spent years saying he would never revisit "Chappelle's Show." He is no longer saying that.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Associated Press, conducted in his longtime home of Yellow Springs, Ohio, the Emmy and Grammy-winning comedian revealed he is reconsidering the possibility of reviving the iconic sketch series he walked away from in 2005. The shift in position is notable for someone who, until recently, had been consistent about leaving that chapter closed. According to the AP, Chappelle said the changing media landscape and the emergence of a new generation of comedians have him thinking differently about what a return could look like.

Chappelle has been watching how comedy moves in the digital age, and credited creators like Druski as examples of a new wave reshaping audience expectations. He also noted that platforms and distribution have shifted so dramatically since the show's Comedy Central run that revisiting the format would not be the same exercise it once was.

Still, he was careful to separate admiration for the current moment from his own standards. He cautioned that overnight digital success can be a trap for comedians who skip the years of obscurity where real artistic development happens. The freedom to fail in front of small crowds, he argued, is something the algorithm economy does not offer.

The interview also covered familiar ground: the sustained criticism Chappelle has faced since his Netflix specials, particularly "The Closer" in 2021, which drew widespread condemnation for material targeting transgender people and prompted internal protests at Netflix itself.

His response to all of it remains what it has always been: nothing has changed, and he is not interested in the framing that says it should. He described his comedy as an extension of the same stand-up he has always done and said the controversy often felt disconnected from the people who actually show up to his shows. He noted that his audiences have not gone anywhere — and suggested the critics engaging with his work from a distance are the ones getting his art wrong.

Rather than address specific criticisms head-on, Chappelle drew a longer historical arc. He referenced a book of essays about Muhammad Ali's career that documents the relentless public attacks Ali endured during his lifetime — attacks that history has since largely repudiated. The implication was clear without being stated.

Chappelle remains one of the most active stand-up comedians in the country. He performs regularly at a comedy venue he runs out of a converted firehouse in Yellow Springs and has upcoming dates at the Netflix Is a Joke Fest in Los Angeles in May. High-profile guests have filtered through his Ohio club in recent years, including Travis Scott, Lizzo, and Wyclef Jean.

He recently participated in the ribbon-cutting for a restored 19th-century schoolhouse that now houses a public radio station, with office space set aside for his production company. Whatever the next chapter looks like — with or without the show that made him famous — Chappelle is clearly not waiting for anyone's permission to write it.