Dave Chappelle has spoken out about the controversy over his Netflix special The Closer in a new stand-up video, saying that he is willing to meet with transgender Netflix employees or other members of the trans community, but won’t bend “to anybody’s demands.”
Comedian Dave Chappelle’s representatives have said he’s willing to talk to Netflix employees angered by his comedy special, The Closer.
Netflix is considering at least one of the demands made by its trans employees over the backlash from Dave Chappelle’s The Closer. The streaming service is weighing whether or not to put a content warning ahead of the special, which has been soundly criticized for Chappelle’s transphobic jokes.
Hundreds of protesters gathered Wednesday near Netflix’s Hollywood headquarters to protest the streamer’s release of a Dave Chappelle comedy special featuring anti-transgender jokes. The rally, called “‘Stand Up’ in Solidarity” organized by trans activist Ashlee Marie Preston, began as an estimated 10% of Netflix employees in New York and Los Angeles staged a virtual walkout at noon local time in an extraordinarily public rebuke of the company.
On the eve of a planned employee walkout at the streaming giant — organized by trans and LGBTQ+ staffers, content creators and allies — Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos addressed numerous points related to recent jokes from comedian Dave Chappelle that have incensed the trans community and been labeled as harmful.
Exclusives
The virtual walkout planned for Wednesday is the latest example of how the internal backlash over the comedian’s new special has roiled the streaming service.
Netflix has fired a long time employee who leaked confidential financial information in response to the streamer’s launch of Dave Chappelle’s controversial The Closer special on Oct. 5. “We have let go of an employee for sharing confidential, commercially sensitive information outside the company,” a Netflix spokesperson said Friday.”We understand this employee may have been motivated by disappointment and hurt with Netflix, but maintaining a culture of trust and transparency is core to our company.”
The comedian Dave Chappelle’s comments on transgender people and gender in The Closer have led to outside criticism and internal unrest at the company that upended Hollywood.
Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos sent a lengthy missive to the entire company following the mounting controversy around The Closer, a new original special from comic Dave Chappelle.
Performing in front of an intimate, socially distanced crowd for a surprise Netflix special called 8:46 that dropped late Thursday night, the comedian celebrated the nationwide protests sparked from Floyd’s death in recent weeks while struggling to understand the reason behind his passing.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Comedian Dave Chappelle has been chosen to receive this year’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The 45-year-old Chappelle shot to international stardom through his Comedy Central program, “Chappelle’s Show,” which gleefully skewered racial stereotypes and hot-button societal issues. He later made headlines for walking away from a lucrative contract over creative […]
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Hartford’s mayor said Thursday comedian Dave Chappelle should “quit whining” about being heckled. Chappelle walked off a stage last week after being heckled in the state capital. Audio posted on TMZ.com shows Chappelle praised an audience in Chicago on Tuesday for being “so much better than Hartford.” “I don’t want anything […]
