Netflix Will Not Remove Dave Chappelle’s Controversial The Closer Special, Says CEO

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos announced that the streaming platform will not remove Dave Chappelle’s controversial The Closer special. The Closer is the latest special as part of Chappelle’s deal with Netflix where he receives $20 million per special. Netflix and Chappelle’s last special, Sticks and Stones (2019), was also subject to controversy over jokes about Michael Jackson and R. Kelly abuse allegations, the LGBTQ+ community, and cancel culture, among others. 

The Closer, like Stick and Stones, received criticism from the LGBTQ+ community in response to Chappelle’s jokes and bits about being “transphobic.” One part of Chappelle’s act referenced the backlash received by rapper DaBaby over his AIDS comment at a musical festival. Chappelle responded with his observation that people can kill others in the United States, but “you better not hurt a gay person’s feelings.” Other parts of the set included Chappelle requesting the LGBTQ+ community “stop punching down at my people [comedians],” pitting the LGBTQ+ community against the Black community, and playfully referring to himself as transphobic. In light of Chappelle’s comments, trans producer Jaclyn Moore (Dear White People) has terminated her relationship with Netflix.

In response to the situation, Sarandos revealed in a press memo sent after Netflix’s quarterly business review that they would not be removing The Closer, as reported by Variety. Sarandos cited “creative freedom” and a long-standing and successful relationship with Chappelle as reasons for his decision. He mentioned other controversial titles like 13 Reasons Why (criticized for the glamorization of mental illness and suicide) and Cuties (criticized for the sexualization of minors) as examples of this creative freedom. He also mentions titles like Sex Education and Disclosure as part of Netflix’s “commitment to inclusion.” Netflix has declined to comment at this time but Sarandos’ full memo can be read below: 

I wanted to follow-up on the “The Closer” — Dave Chappelle’s latest special — as several of you have reached out following QBR asking what to say to your teams. It never feels good when people are hurting, especially our colleagues, so I wanted to give you some additional context. You should also be aware that some talent may join third parties in asking us to remove the show in the coming days, which we are not going to do.

Chappelle is one of the most popular stand-up comedians today, and we have a long standing deal with him. His last special “Sticks & Stones,” also controversial, is our most watched., stickiest and most award winning stand-up special to date. As with our other talent, we work hard to support their creative freedom – even though this means there will always be content on Netflix some people believe is harmful, like “Cuties,” “365 Days,” “13 Reasons Why” or “My Unorthodox Life.””

Several of you have also asked where we draw the line on hate. We don’t allow titles Netflix that are designed to incite hate or violence, and we don’t believe The Closer crosses that line. I recognize, however, that distinguishing between commentary and harm is hard, especially with stand-up comedy which exists to push boundaries. Some people find the art of stand-up to be mean-spirited but our members enjoy it, and it’s an important part of our content offering.

In terms of our commitment to inclusion, we’re working hard to ensure more people see their lives reflected on screen and that under-represented communities are not defined by the singe story. So we’re proud of titles like “Sex Education,” “Young Royals,” “Control Z” and “Disclosure.” Externally, particularly in stand-up comedy, artistic freedom is obviously a very different standard of speech than we allow internally as the goals are different: entertaining people versus maintaining a respectful, productive workplace.

Today’s conversation on Entertain the World was timely. These are hard and uncomfortable issues. We all bring different values and perspectives so thank you for being part of the conversation as it’s important we’re clear about our operating principals.

During that same quarterly review, three Netflix employees, including one trans junior staffer who had been critical of the special on Twitter, reportedly crashed the meeting to express their concerns and were subsequently suspended. Terra Field, a trans senior software engineer at Netflix was among those suspended. Field was vocal on Twitter about her disdain for what she referred to as anti-trans jokes made by Chapelle in The Closer. Field and the other two employees were not invited to the quarterly review. A spokesperson for Netflix said Field’s presence at the meeting, and not her comments on Twitter, were the cause of her suspension.

The debate over the artistic freedom of comedians especially is a tense one, with comics like Chappelle as vocal about “cancel culture” as his critics are of his material. Also, as Sarandos said, Netflix subscribers are still choosing to consume Chappelle’s content, proving it a successful financial venture. However, Netflix must also consider the critics and those who are not just offended, but harmed by Chappelle’s material, especially when it’s their own employees and talent.

Source: Variety