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The Racial Draft
The setup
The premise
Here’s the bit.
Chappelle's Show stages the first Racial Draft as a live sports broadcast, with commentators Dave, Rob and Billy calling the picks while delegates for each race claim multiracial or culturally ambiguous celebrities. The black delegation opens by drafting Tiger Woods, who happily trades his old identity for a new one, the Jewish delegation takes Lenny Kravitz and the Latino delegation reclaims Elián González. The white delegation's surprise pick of Colin Powell turns into a back-and-forth trade over Condoleezza Rice, Eminem and O.J. Simpson, before the Asian delegation pulls off the night's biggest upset by selecting the entire Wu-Tang Clan.
The funny people
Meet the cast. 12
Say it with us
Highly quotable.
So long, fried rice, hello fried chicken.
You got yourself a goddamn deal.
Behind the scenes
The people who made it.

Neal Brennan
Director

Neal Brennan
Writer

Dave Chappelle
Writer
A little extra
Notes from the archive.
The Racial Draft aired in the first episode of Chappelle's Show's second season on January 21, 2004, and was rerun in the season's second best-of special in May 2004.
Script
Automatically generated script; wording may contain errors. Speaker labels are inferred.
- 00:03
Rob
Good evening and welcome to the first and maybe only racial draft here in New York City. Folks, this is for all the marbles. What happens here will state the racial standing of these Americans once and for all.
- 00:14
Dave
That's right. And the crowd is here to support their races.
- 00:18
Billy
Well, Rob, some of the biggest names in sports and in entertainment are on the line tonight. And I'm excited to see who's going to be drafted by which race. Seated behind me on the stage there are the various representatives. And believe it or not, the blacks have actually won the first pick.
- 00:33
Rob
Wow, that's the first lottery a black person's won in a long time, Billy.
- 00:36
Billy
Yes, and they'll probably still complain.
- 00:39
Dave
Man, fuck you.
- 00:41
Rob
Up the microphone now. Why don't we take a listen?
- 00:45
Rondell, Black Delegation Rep
We as a black delegation, shoot She Tiger Woods.
- 00:54
Rob
No surprises there, because the richest and most dominant athlete in the world, his father black, his mother Thai. Well, it doesn't matter anymore, because now he is officially black. Dave, the Asians have got to be upset.
- 01:09
Dave
There's no question about that, Robert. But he had to think about it. He's been discriminated against in his time. He's had death threats. And he dates a white woman. Sounds like a black guy to me.
- 01:19
Rob
Tiger's taking a stage there. And if you ask me, he's looking blacker already.
- 01:24
Tiger Woods
I'd like to say it's a tremendous opportunity for me to finally be part of a race, have a home. Been so confused by cavalcades and so many things. so So long fried rice hello fried chicken I love you guys! I always wanted to say this for shizzle
- 02:01
Rob
Well well it seems as though Tiger Woods is happy to be black and that's a good thing because I just received word that he lost all his endorsements
- 02:13
Billy
oh that's a tough one
- 02:15
Dave
oh and makes tag he were Wheaties the whole shebangabang
- 02:18
Dave
tough Tough break, nigga.
- 02:20
It's always foodie.
- 02:23
Rob
All right. Coming up now are the Jews. Many have speculated about their pick. I'm guessing they're going to pick Madonna and finish off the job Kabbalah started.
- 02:32
Billy
Yes, well, Rob, she was born and raised Catholic. Then she became a whore. But over the last decade, she has studied the Kabbalah. And she even wrote a Kabbalah's children's book.
- 02:41
Rob
Oh, here come the Jews. Why don't we take a look downstairs?
- 02:44
Jewish Delegation Rep
sticks today we the jewish people take lenny kravitz
- 02:52
Rob
wow it's a prize move to do pick lenny kravitz folks he's actually half black and half jewish his mother was on the jeffersons a pivotal show in black culture and his father a jew was her lawyer
- 03:08
Dave
couldn't make that up
- 03:10
Rob
well lenny is all Jewish now. Unfortunately, Lenny can't make it here to accept he's in Miami Beach.
- 03:18
Dave
Miami Beach? Well, he must have got that news about being Jewish early.
- 03:23
Rob
Alright, the Latins are up now. Why don't we all take an escutche to their pick?
- 03:28
Latino Delegation Rep
We the Latinos choose Elian Gonzalez.
- 03:35
Rob
I I don't understand that one.
- 03:40
Latino Delegation Rep
We wanted to do this before the white people tried to adopt him as one of their own. Again.
- 03:45
Rob
Okay Okay, guess whose turn it is? White people. Let's see what direction they go in.
- 03:54
Rondell, Black Delegation Rep
Halle Berry is still available, as is Mariah Carey's crazy ass.
- 04:00
White Delegation Rep
Very mature, Rondell. Thank you all. Good afternoon. Excuse me. Pardon me. Hey, will you cut the malarkey? Okay, I'm talking. There's a white man talking up here.
- 04:14
White Delegation Rep
So then, see ya.'all on the hour thank you damn it
- 04:20
White Delegation Rep
we the white delegation are very proud to announce our pick this year colin powell
- 04:30
Billy
colin powell is not right he's he's not even an eighth white he's 100 percent black
- 04:36
Rob
wow i gotta wonder how the blacks are going to be taking this one
- 04:42
Rondell, Black Delegation Rep
We, the black delegation, accept the white delegation's offer to draft Colin Powell on the condition that they also accept Condoleezza Rice as part of the deal.
- 04:53
Connolly.
- 05:00
White Delegation Rep
Yes, sir, we need to buy white people everywhere. We accept. You got yourself a goddamn deal.
- 05:11
Rondell, Black Delegation Rep
Black delegation request M&M.
- 05:13
White Delegation Rep
Wait a goddamn minute, Rondell. That's not part of the bargain.
- 05:16
Rondell, Black Delegation Rep
I'm a hustler, baby.
- 05:17
White Delegation Rep
All right, well, no hustling me. I'm talking to the ultimate hustler. I tell you what, to make all things fair, if we keep Eminem, you get O.J. Simpson.
- 05:27
Rondell, Black Delegation Rep
Shut up!
- 05:29
White Delegation Rep
No, baby.
- 05:31
Rob
Incredible. A first round absolutely chock full of surprises. Unbelievable. Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice now officially white. O.J., black again. What a day.
- 05:43
Rob
You know, if black people didn't go to Venezuela, hey, they're picking a black person, I bet they would have picked Oprah.
- 05:49
Billy
Oh, absolutely, Rob. Thick thighs, no felonies. She definitely would have been a great pick-up.
- 05:54
Rob
Okay, the Chinese delegation is up next. Although they're the last, they've been waiting with zen-like patience.
- 06:01
Dave
My guess is Yao Ming. He's been spending a lot of time with Blacks learning slang and shit-talking. If they're not careful, they might lose him.
- 06:10
Asian Delegation Rep
The Asian delegation chooses... the RZA, the JZA,
- 06:27
Rob
The Chinese delegation pulling a fast one and choosing the entire Wu-Tang Clan.
- 06:38
Self
This is big for us, yo, because we've always been a fan of the kung fu, the Chinese culture and shit, so yo, it's like bong bong, you know?
- 06:46
Self
Yeah, I want to remind everybody to diversify your bonds, and RZA got an announcement to make.
- 06:51
Self
Oh, yeah. Yeah. Old Dirty has now changed its name from Dirt McGirt to the Old Dirty Chinese Restaurant.
- 07:07
Self
Konichiwa, bitches.
- 07:09
Rob
Folks, thanks for joining us on this incredible night. Our coverage ends here, but be sure to catch the rest on our website. Congratulations to all of the races, and konichiwa, bitches.
- 07:22
Thank you.
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