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Dave Chappelle tests positive for COVID-19; shows canceled

FILE - In this Jan. 28, 2018 file photo, Dave Chappelle poses in the press room with the best comedy album award for "The Age of Spin" and "Deep in the Heart of Texas" at the 60th annual Grammy Awards in New York. Chappelle celebrated George Floyd’s life and ripped the media for the way it handled his death in a surprise Netflix special. The special was released Thursday and is streaming free on Netflix’s comedy YouTube channel. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Dave Chappelle tested positive for the coronavirus just before his comedy show scheduled for Thursday, forcing his upcoming appearances to be canceled, a spokeswoman said.

Chappelle was expected to perform Thursday through Sunday at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin, Texas. Those shows have been canceled and Chappelle is quarantining, his representative Carla Sims said in a statement. The comedian is asymptomatic.

Chappelle had been performing socially-distanced shows in Ohio since June, and moved his shows to Austin during the winter, Sims said. Rapid testing for the audience and daily tests for Chappelle and his team were implemented.

Comedian Joe Rogan was scheduled to perform at the shows Friday and Saturday. He apologized on Instagram to followers for the canceled shows, saying they’d be rescheduled. A post earlier this week showed Rogan at Stubb’s with Chappelle and other stars including Donnell Rawlings, Ron White and Elon Musk.

Refunds will be available for ticketholders at their point of purchase.