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After hundreds of Netflix employees staged a walkout in protest of the streamer’s latest Dave Chappelle special, The Closer, the comedian is responding. In a statement released by Chappelle’s rep this afternoon, he reportedly says he is willing to sit down with protesters.
From TMZ:
“The comedian’s rep tells TMZ … Dave would be open to dialogue if folks from Netflix actually reach out to him for a discussion. Dave’s camp says no one from Netflix has approached Chappelle or his team about setting up a meeting or conversation … which is the opposite of what the woman who organized the Netflix walkout claims. As we reported … Ashlee Marie Preston says she invited Dave to come to the table to talk about the damage she and others believe he’s inflicted on the LGBTQ+ community, but she said, ‘Dave chose not to show up.'”
The site goes on to report that Chappelle’s camp is not sure why Preston made that claim, as he is not against talking with any group of people.
Amongst many disparaging comments in The Closer, the comedian said “Gender is a fact” and used rapper DaBaby’s public scandals and legal issues to try and demonstrate his point that “In our country, you can shoot and kill a n*gga, but you better not hurt a gay person’s feelings.” Besides the fact that Chappelle doesn’t know the difference between sex and gender — and disregards all context in a case where DaBaby killed a Black man in self-defense and therefore was not charged — Chappelle also called himself Team TERF and spoke about the LGBTQ+ community and Black folks as though they are mutually exclusive.
The sheer lack of knowledge on Chappelle’s part would have been enough to upset any ally to the queer community. But, for those who tuned in, you know he didn’t stop there. Let us know your thoughts on The Closer and all of the backlash behind it.
