If you were a Chappelle's Show fan back in the day—and if you weren't, what the hell is wrong with you?—you will recognize Donnell Rawlings as the man behind some of the funniest characters in the show's history. He was a frequent collaborator with Chappelle, appearing as the dice-rolling fool Ashy Larry and the time-traveling pimp/hater, Beautiful, in some of the show's best sketches ever.
While it's nice to believe two colleagues on a fun show would remain close away from their work, Rawlings allegedly took that connection to a whole different level. In a video provided to TMZ by a man named Thurston Greer, it appears Rawlings and a group of men outside a New York City hotel did not appreciate an attempt to film their group—which included Chappelle. They took matters into their own hands when the videographer wouldn't relent.
Though Greer claims he was struck by Rawlings, the only thing you can tell from the video is that Rawlings got involved with his voice. The distinctive, "SON" Rawlings made famous on Chappelle's Show rings clear, despite a barrage of shouting from Greer and other parties in the altercation.
"We asked for privacy, son," says Rawlings, shortly before things descend into chaos.
At the moment, Rawlings is reportedly wanted for questioning by NYPD in connection with the incident. Since the video appears inconclusive, and the crew in the area will almost certainly fall into the Rawlings/Chappelle camp, I wouldn't put money on him getting into any trouble. Then again, he once told Complex he'd take a Mike Tyson punch for $235, so maybe he's more of a scrapper than you might think.
You can watch the video of the incident up top.
