Dave Chappelle's 3 Kids: Everything to Know

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When it comes to his family, Dave Chappelle is notoriously private.

The comedian and his wife, Elaine, first met while he was still trying to get his comedy career off the ground in New York City in the '90s. The two tied the knot in 2001, just two years before welcoming their son Sulayman, 21, in 2003. The Chappelles became a family of five with the additions of son Ibrahim, 19, in 2003, and daughter Sanaa, 13, in 2009.

Despite his life in the spotlight — the comedian made headlines in 2021 after his Netflix special The Closer received backlash from the LGBTQ community over transphobic jokes — Dave has kept his family out of the public eye. In 2006, the Chappelles moved to Yellow Spring, Ohio, away from all the noise of Hollywood. During a CBS This Morning interview with Gayle King in 2017, the stand-up comic compared his 65-acre farm to a "nature reserve" where he and his family are allowed to "run free."

"We don't live in Hollywood, there's no paparazzi trying to get their picture," Dave said of their very private life in Ohio on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman in 2020. "The community protects them in that sense." Dave and Elaine also refrain from posting about their kids on social media.

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Dave has fostered his late father's parenting style as well. His number one rule? Always tell your kids, "I love you."

"I don't believe in leaving my children's presence without telling them I love them," he said on Letterman's show.

Here's everything to know about Dave Chappelle's three children: Sulayman, Ibrahim and Sanaa.

Sulayman Chappelle, 21

The couple welcomed their first child, son Sulayman, in 2001. Dave opened up about fatherhood and how it's had a positive influence on his career while appearing on CBS This Morning in 2017. "Everything changed after I had children," he said. "I took my professional life more seriously. And I think, as a dude, I had more depth after I had kids."

As Sulayman gets older, Dave is realizing just how much he and his son have in common — specifically, when it comes to their hobbies. During his 2019 Netflix stand-up special, Dave Chappelle: Equanimity & The Bird Revelation, Dave jokingly recalled when he discovered Sulayman smokes marijuana.

"I went into my older son's room … and I found these notebooks and I started going through the notebooks," he said. "There was all this wonderful poetry in it … Then I looked through his drawers and I opened up his middle drawer and I found his rolling paper. I looked down at them papers and said, 'Oh, that's where the poetry's coming from.' "

He joked, "I mean, I smoke weed. But I mourned my son's innocence."

Ibrahim Chappelle, 19

Dave and Elaine welcomed their second child, son Ibrahim, in 2003. While Dave enjoys being a father, parenthood hasn't come without a few hardships along the way for the comedian. During an episode of Project Dad, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Original, Dave revealed that traveling solo with kids is "one of the scariest things I've ever done in my life." He added, "Everything they need, you just have to be on it."

"The days are long, but the years will fly by," he added.

Much like his older brother, Ibrahim has been a source of laughs in Dave's stand-up comedy specials. The comedian worked one of his favorite stories about his middle child into his 2017 Netflix special The Age of Spin: the time Ibrahim asked for tickets to see Kevin Hart live.

"I was at home and my son busted in and said 'Dad, Dad, I need $250 ... Kevin Hart is coming to town and I want to see his show,' " Dave recalled his son saying.

Reluctantly, Dave took him to see Hart's set, and apparently, Ibrahim thinks the Ride Along star's humor is funnier than his dad's. "My son was slapping his knee, 'Ha ha ha ha ha ha,' " Dave said during his own set, expressing his jealousy. "'Uh … I do this too,' " the dad of three added.

Ibrahim also embarrassed his dad when Hart asked the father and son to join him for dinner. "My son pushed past me with some cold s--- and said, 'Actually Mr. Hart we haven't eaten for several hours,' " Dave shared.

Sanaa Chappelle, 13

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Born in 2009, Sanaa is the couple's youngest child and only daughter. When she was just 9 years old, she landed her first movie gig and got to act alongside her father in the 2018 film A Star is Born. Dave played Jackson Maine's (Bradley Cooper) best friend Noodles, while Sanaa played his daughter. The father-daughter duo later attended the film's premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival together.

As the years and comedy tours go by, Dave says being on the road away from his family never gets easier. On Dave Chappelle: Equanimity & The Bird Revelation, the comedian said he had a major "wakeup call" when he returned to an empty home after his last tour.

"I see my age in my children," Dave said. "When my kids were little and the tour bus would pull up to the house, [they'd] spill out. 'Dad is home, hooray!' Then as the years went on, they'd get less interested. 'Hey everybody, look: It's Mr. Promises back from the road,' " he joked.