- - Dave Chappelle’s 3 Kids: All About Sulayman, Ibrahim and Sanaa

Emily Weaver, Caroline BlairDecember 23, 2025 at 7:33 PM

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VALERIE MACON/AFP Dave Chappelle and his daughter Sanaa Chappelle -

Dave Chappelle and his wife, Elaine Chappelle, are parents to three children: Sulayman, Ibrahim and Sanaa

The controversial comedian and his wife have raised their kids in Ohio

While Dave has shared glimpses of his kids, he has mostly kept them and Elaine out of the spotlight

Dave Chappelle has been in the spotlight for three decades, but he has kept much of his personal life private.

The controversial comedian and his wife, Elaine Chappelle, have been married since 2001 and are parents to three children. The couple became parents the same year they wed when they welcomed their son Sulayman and they later had son Ibrahim in 2003. Dave and Elaine welcomed their first daughter, Sanaa, in 2009.

In 2006, Dave and his family moved to a small town in Ohio, where they have maintained a low profile and raised their kids out of the spotlight.

"We don't live in Hollywood, there's no paparazzi trying to get their picture," he said during a 2020 appearance on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman. "The community protects them in that sense."

He also added, of his parenting philosphy, "I don't believe in leaving my children's presence without telling them I love them."

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

Sulayman Chappelle, 24

Richard Corkery/NY Daily News Archive via Getty

Dave Chappelle with his wife Elaine and son Sulayman at a viewing of his film "Block Party."

The couple welcomed their first child, son Sulayman, in 2001. Dave opened up about fatherhood and how it influenced 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."

During his 2020 interview with Letterman, Dave called his eldest son "the s---" and "the best."

"He’s much more courageous than I was at his age, which you think is ironic, but it’s true," he said. "Socially, just the way he can already decide real critical things about who he is or who he wants to be, the type of honesty and discernment these kids have, because they’re bombarded with information."

Ibrahim Chappelle, 22

Johnny Nunez/Getty

Dave Chappelle and Elaine Chappelle attend the 56th NAACP Image Awards on February 22, 2025 in Pasadena, California.

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."

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.

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.

In 2020, Dave called Ibrahim a "star athlete" and the only one of his children who gave stand-up comedy a shot.

"Of all my kids, he’s the only one that’s ever tried stand-up tried," he told Letterman. "He tried it once at the Comedy Cellar and nailed it. It was really funny, and it was so brave ... I just love that he looked at it and thought it was beautiful and touched it and did well."

Sanaa Chappelle, 16

VALERIE MACON/AFP Dave Chappelle and his daughter Sanaa Chappelle attend the premiere of 'A Star is Born' during the Toronto International Film Festival, on September 9, 2018, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Born in 2009, Sanaa is Dave and Elaine's youngest child and only daughter.

When she was just 9 years old, she landed her first movie gig and acted 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.

Dave called Sanaa his "twin" and the "adorable little girl that I could have been" during his 2020 interview with Letterman.

As the years and comedy tours go by, Dave shared that 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.' "

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