Dave Chappelle, Netflix working together again after backlash over comedy special
Dec 07, 2021
Washington [US], December 7 : Netflix recently revealed that it is working with Dave Chappelle again after coming under fire for the comedian's latest stand-up special 'The Closer'.
As per Fox News, the streaming giant announced on Monday a new 11-day stand-up comedy festival titled 'Netflix Is A Joke: The Festival', in Los Angeles featuring over 130 artists, including the Emmy-winning Chappelle.
The event will take place on April 28-May 8, 2022. It will feature comedians Ali Wong, Amy Poehler, Amy Schumer, Aziz Ansari, Bill Burr, Chelsea Handler, Chris Rock, Conan O'Brien, David Letterman, Ellen DeGeneres, Hasan Minhaj, Iliza Shlesinger, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, Jerry Seinfeld, John Mulaney, Jonathan Van Ness, Ken Jeong, Kevin Hart, Larry David, Margaret Cho, Maya Rudolph, Nicole Byer, Patton Oswalt, Pete Davidson, Ray Romano, Sandra Bernhard, Seth Rogen, Tig Notaro, Tina Fey, Wanda Sykes and many more.
The event was delayed from 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Chappelle is set to headline The Hollywood Bowl. He landed in hot water when 'The Closer' first aired on October 1.
Chappelle's remarks about the transgender community raised protests within Netflix and from activists. About 30 Netflix workers staged an October 20 walkout and joined a rally at Netflix offices in Los Angeles.
Netflix faced criticism not only due to the special but due to how internal memos responded to employees' concerns, including co-CEO Ted Sarandos' assertion that "content on screen doesn't directly translate to real-world harm."
At the time, Sarandos also wrote that Netflix doesn't allow titles that are "designed to incite hate or violence, and we don't believe 'The Closer' crosses that line."
Sarandos later apologised for his comments and said he failed to recognise that "a group of our employees was really hurting," and that his comment about the effect of TV on viewers was an oversimplification.
A spokesperson for Netflix told FOX Business before the employee walkout, "We value our trans colleagues and allies, and understand the deep hurt that's been caused. We respect the decision of any employee who chooses to walk out, and recognize we have much more work to do both within Netflix and in our content."
As per Variety, Chappelle later stated in a video that he is open to speaking with transgender employees at Netflix or other members of the trans community but will not bend "to anybody's demands."
