According to an internal document acquired by The Verge and Variety, Netflix has no plans to remove Dave Chappelle’s new comedy special off its platform in response to complaints about numerous lines that have been interpreted as transphobic.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos informed workers in a message that he did not feel Chappelle’s statements on his new episode, “The Closer,” toed the threshold into hate speech, and that the firm had no intentions to remove the spectacular from its platform as a result.
Sarandos made it clear that this is not Chappelle’s first contentious Netflix special. Transphobic comments were also incorporated in his 2019 special “Sticks & Stones.” “Chappelle is one of today’s most popular stand-up comedians, and we’ve worked with him for a long time,” Sarandos added.
“His most recent special, Sticks & Stones, is our most-watched, stickiest, and award-winning stand-up special to date.” In “The Closer,” Chapelle supported novelist J.K. Rowling, who has since been accused with being transphobic.
Jacyln Moore, a writer and executive producer of the Netflix series “Dear White People,” announced her resignation from the company shortly after the special’s debut.
“I would not work with them however long as it continues to bring out now and benefit on clearly and potentially transphobic material,” Moore, a trans woman, stated. According with Verge and Variety, Netflix fired a second trans employee last week who had been critical of the show on social media.
According to Netflix, the employee was suspended because he or she attended a meeting to which they were not invited. The business stated in a statement that the ban had nothing to do with the criticism of Chappelle’s show.
