Dave Chappelle led an all-star lineup of comedians including Bill Burr and Whitney Cummings in a three-podcast video conference benefit with The Comedy Store to drum up $100,000 for those in the comedy industry who are sidelined due to the coronavirus shutdown.
The benefit with the famed comedy venue, located on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, raised the six-figure total via texts to 41444, TMZ reported.
It was spread over three live, hour-long podcasts, with Chappelle reunited with his former Chappelle’s Show costars Burr, Neal Brennan and Donnell Rawlings on the third.
Headliner: Dave Chappelle, 46, led a lineup of comedians including Bill Burr, 51, and Whitney Cummings, 37, in a three-podcast video conference benefit with The Comedy Store to drum up $100,000 for those in the comedy industry who are sidelined due to the coronavirus shutdown
The initial episode was hosted by Cummings with appearances from Chris D’Elia, Tim Dillon, Bobby Lee and Andrew Santino. The second episode, hosted by Tom Segura, included Joey Diaz, Bert Kreischer and Theo Von.
The benefit can be seen on YouTube, and starting Monday will on demand on the The Comedy Store Channel via the Apple TV, Roku and Xbox platforms.
‘The Comedy Store wants to spread some joy as everyone is sheltering in place,’ the venue said, according to Deadline. ‘So, we will bring a little bit of The Store to you, at home and we will get through this, together.’
The famed venue said in a separate statement: ‘In partnership with The Motion Picture Television Fund, we are raising funds to provide a safety net for our current Comedy Store family. Proceeds to Support The Comedy Store Family Fund benefiting our employees and comedians.’
Funny: The initial episode was hosted by Cummings with appearances from Chris D’Elia, Tim Dillon, Bobby Lee and Andrew Santino
Together again: Chappelle reunited with his former Chappelle’s Show costars Burr, Neal Brennan and Donnell Rawlings on the third
Pitching in: Comedian Joey Diaz was featured in the second podcast in the benefit
The international pandemic has impacted the comedy industry heavily amid a near-nationwide shutdown.
Said the venue, ‘Since the club’s closure on March 13th, we have paid all of our employees and would like to continue to do so.
‘It may be a while until The Store will be able to open our doors again and we would like to ensure financial stability to our regular comedians and staff.’
Troubled times: The international pandemic has impacted the comedy industry heavily amid a near-nationwide shutdown
Group effort: The fundraiser was aimed at helping people in the comedy industry out of work due to the shutdown
Focused: Chris D’Elia appeared in Cummings’ edition of the special
Celebrities including Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Idris Elba and Andy Cohen have tested positive for the virus, as well as Prince Charles and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
As of Sunday, the death total for COVID-19 was at 49,164 people in the U.S., with 959,056 total positive diagnoses, The COVID Tracking Project reported.
On a global level, 206,265 people have died amid 2,965,363 positive diagnoses worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University.