Jon Stewart joins Dave Chappelle for his ‘A Talk with Punchlines’ series

Credit: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images, Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival

Credit: Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images, Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival

Dave Chappelle has been hosting a series of pop-up comedy shows at the Wirrig Pavilion in Yellow Springs this summer.

“A Talk with Punchlines” has been one of the few live shows happening in the country, particularly with the level of talent and celebrity status of the people attending and performing at these events.

The series, which has also been referred to as “An Intimate Socially Distanced Affair,” has hosted many special guests including Tiffany Haddish, Jon Hamm, Michael Che, Erykah Badu, Michelle Wolf, Common, Donnell Rawlings, Talib Kweli, Cipha Sounds and Mo Amer, among others.

On Thursday, July 16, Chappelle hosted another pop-up show, again serving as the emcee. Michelle Wolf opened the show, which has been par for the course since she is now a temporary resident of Yellow Springs. She’s been staying in Chappelle’s guest house since the shutdown happened mid-March.

Wolf was followed by comedians Mo Amer and Chappelle show alum Donnell Rawlings, who have also been staples during this series. They included some jokes about Yellow Springs and the Miami Valley in general, and Rawlings added some touching final remarks to his set.

Then, unexpectedly, Jon Stewart came on stage. “It was quite a shock to me and the crowd,” Scott Van Buren of Dayton shared with us. “He had a really good, funny, and emotional set.”

After Stewart’s 30-minute set, Chappelle came out and joined Stewart. They conversed on stage, exchanging stories for almost 45 minutes, cracking each other up.

Local fans were delighted to see these two legendary comedians performing together. Stewart and Chappelle became household names after their successful shows on Comedy Central, “The Daily Show” and “The Chappelle Show,” respectively.

Both walked away from their television shows early to pursue other interests. The duo went on to host a joint stand-up tour in 2018, with Amer and Wolf. Stewart also made an appearance at the Gem City Shine event in Dayton last summer.

Chappelle has two more shows planned this week on Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18. Tickets were available on Ticketmaster, but are already sold out. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear about additional shows and special guests.

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Credit: Tom Gilliam

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