For the last couple of weeks, the controversy that surrounded the Dave Chappelle comedy special, “The Closer,” seemed positioned as a fight between Netflix and the LGBTQ community, specifically those that work at the streaming service. This is because Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos seemed to be the bad guy, releasing statements that were tone deaf, at best, and insulting/offensive, at worst. But now, Dave Chappelle has spoken out formally about the controversy, and he’s surely going to inflame the situation even more.
Speaking in front of a massive crowd at one of his shows, Dave Chappelle posted a five-minute video on his Instagram, where he specifically talks about “The Closer” and the fallout of the special’s release. Over the course of the talk, he doesn’t so much as tell jokes (though he does throw a joke-y jab at Hannah Gadsby, another comedian who spoke out against him) as he does talk about how he has been personally affected by being “canceled.”
Ultimately, he wants people to know that he is not anti-LGBTQ, but he thinks “corporate interests” are at fault right now. And he does admit that he is willing to meet with trans Netflix employees (who have organized against his special), but he doesn’t want to bend to their demands, instead offering a few of his own.
“It’s been said in the press that I was invited to speak to the transgender employees of Netflix and I refused. That is not true,” Chappelle said. “If they had invited me, I would have accepted it, although I am confused about what we would be speaking about. I said what I said, and boy, I heard what you said. My God, how could I not? You said you want a safe working environment at Netflix. It seems like I’m the only one who can’t go to the office.”
Though he is willing to meet with them, Chappelle warns trans employees at Netflix that “you will not summon me.” Instead, he will only meet with them on a few conditions: “I am not bending to anyone’s demands. And if you want to meet with me, I am more than willing to, but I have some conditions. First of all, you cannot come if you have not watched my special from beginning to end. You must come to a place of my choosing at a time of my choosing, and thirdly, you must admit that Hannah Gadsby is not funny.”
To show how “The Closer” controversy has affected his career, Chappelle talked about how he has been trying to get his new “Untitled” documentary, which follows the creation of his outdoor comedy shows last summer, at a variety of film festivals. The comedian says that he was initially selected by several festivals and events, but all of them have been pulling out of their support after this recent situation.
“This film that I made was invited to every film festival in the United States. Some of those invitations I accepted,” he explained. “When this controversy came out about The Closer, they began disinviting me from these film festivals, and now, today, not a film company, not a movie studio, not a film festival, nobody will touch this film. Thank God for Ted Sarandos and Netflix, he’s the only one that didn’t cancel me yet.”
The irony of someone talking about being canceled while speaking to a sold out auditorium that is clapping during his speech is obvious when you see the video on social media. At this point, it’s clear “The Closer” will remain controversial, as Chappelle clearly doesn’t really have any intention of backing down and the LGBTQ community is still at odds with Netflix. We’ll just have to see if any other steps are taken in the future.
