If it seemed at all out of the blue that Dave Chappelle would suddenly take on SNL, there may have been an ulterior motive to reclaiming the spotlight. The former Chappelle’s Show star has now locked down not one, but three Netflix comedy specials, some of which will be released simultaneously.

Netflix confirms that Chappelle and director Stan Lathan will produce an original stand-up comedy special to debut on Netflix, with an as-yet-undetermined premiere date. The deal also includes “two additional never-before-seen specials directly from Chappelle’s personal comedy vault,” filmed at Austin City Limits and The Hollywood Palladium, which will be released simultaneously in 2017.

Says Netflix of the order, which joins similar high-profile comedy deals for Chris Rock, Joe Rogan, Dana Carvey, Michael Che, Gabriel Iglesias, Reggie Watts and Colin Quinn (directed by Jerry Seinfeld):

Dave Chappelle is a legendary voice in comedy – searing, vital, and now more than ever, essential. Dave’s three new specials promise to be some of the most anticipated events in comedy, and we are honored he will mark his global return on Netflix.

We’ll likely hear more about dates soon, but is Dave Chappelle the one to perk up a gloomy 2017 ahead?

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