January 22, 2003

Chappelle’s first show set the tone for much of the content of the upcoming
series. It featured a sketch on a blind, black white supremacist, Clayton Bigsby,
who was raised by white foster parents and taught from a young age to abhor
the black race. The sketch, inspired by the true to life circumstances of Chappelle’s
grandfather, was considered the high point of the show, and concluded with Bigsby
taking off his KKK-hood at a Klan rally and shouting “WHITE POWER” to the horrified
reactions of his fellow Klansmen. According to Nielsen ratings, the show was
seen by approximately 2.5 million viewers in on its opening night