Dave Chappelle Gives Will Smith Pointers For His Stand-Up Debut

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Actor Will Smith and actor/comedian Dave Chappelle are seen in attendance prior to the middleweight championship bout between Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez at T-Mobile Arena on September 15, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Will Smith makes his stand-up debut and Dave Chappelle helps him out.

Will Smith's been in the game for over thirty years at this point and despite being in some of the most iconic comedy films, he's never done stand-up comedy. As part of his new Facebook Watch show Will Smith's Bucket List, the actor decided to take a shot at performing stand-up. He opened up for Dave Chappelle but before taking the stage, Smith got a few pointers on how to maneuver his way through his set.

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Chappelle had a few pointers for Will Smith who admitted he's never done stand-up comedy or used his own life to create comedic material. Chappelle broke down three key tips to delivering a proper stand-up bit.

“The first thing I’ll tell you is confidence is key,” Chappelle said. “The reason you should be confident is primarily because you’re Will Smith... I’ve been watching you for years; you’re actually a funny dude. I’ve spoken to you before, you’re a great conversationalist.”

Chappelle's second piece of advice was to pick the right stuff to talk about. He then gave Smith a piece of advice that he got from an unnamed comedian who Chappelle described as not very good. “He said, ‘You are one of those comedians who think you have to be funny all the time. You don’t. But, you have to be interesting all the time.'”

Peep the episode below. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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