Chappelle's No-Show

If he felt pressure, Chappelle never admitted it publicly. After the deal was signed last year, he told EW: ''What this money really purchased me was a certain peace of mind. It was an affirmation, just to be confident in your intuition. Try to do things that feel good because ultimately that's what I got rewarded for.''

For this season, Chappelle had shot four to five episodes' worth of sketches, but had yet to shoot his live onstage introductions. So what becomes of the $50 million? The multifaceted deal covered seasons 3 and 4 and a TV and movie development deal. But the bulk of the money would come from increased royalties from DVD sales, which will keep selling without him; the season 1 set remains the top-selling TV DVD ever — bigger even than The Simpsons or Seinfeld — and 2 will be released May 24. (Comedy Central will promote it by airing its bonus footage before Chappelle's Show reruns.)

Network spokesman Tony Fox says the show's loss won't damage Comedy Central because the network's year-to-date ratings have already beaten projections, thanks to the second Blue Collar Comedy Tour and the Jeff Foxworthy roast; Reno 911!'s third season will take Chappelle's slot on Tuesdays at 10 starting in June. But a rival cable-channel exec says this is overly optimistic: ''Every network has a few hits, and you can't afford to lose any. It's their number one franchise.'' Statements like that don't do anything to relieve the pressure.

(Additional reporting by Mandi Bierly, Lynette Rice, Dan Snierson, and Margeaux Watson)