Dave Chappelle Comeback: Comedian Reportedly Films HBO Comedy Special In Austin

Dave Chappelle, the mercurial comedian who famously disappeared from the public eye about a decade ago, filmed a comedy special at Austin's ACL Live in Texas over the weekend, according to Comedy Hype. The show was reportedly filmed for HBO and marks a comeback to the medium for Chappelle, who hasn't had a special since 2004's "For What It's Worth."

Chappelle made a high-profile return to standup comedy in June 2014 when he played a string of 10 shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. He had previously walked away from comedy and public life in 2005 taking time off in Africa after reportedly turning down a $50-million offer from Comedy Central to continue his eponymous "Chappelle's Show."

The Comedy Hype article included tweets of supposed audience-members saying the show was a hit, and users on Reddit posted they saw a filmed Chappelle special, as well. An air date for the special has not been confirmed.

The 41-year-old is largely considered one of the best standups of his generation. His 2000 special "Killin' Them Softly," was especially well-received, ranked as the eighth-best special of all time by comedy blog Split Sider. Chappelle's often-controversial sketch show later became a hit for Comedy Central, but lasted just three seasons before the comedian walked away.