Dave Chapelle Willing to Meet up With Transgender Employees of Netflix
Dave Chapelle’s Netflix special, The Closer, has been heavily criticized for his use of transgender jokes since its release.
Chapelle appeared alongside Joe Rogan in Nashville when mentioned to the audience that he will meet with the transgender community that takes issue with his jokes regarding trans people. He then posted a video on Instagram stating he was “not bending the rules for anybody’s demands.”
“It’s been said in the press that I was invited to speak with transgender employees at Netflix and I refused,” Chappelle said during his Nashville set. “That is not true. If they had invited me I would’ve accepted, although I am confused about what we’re speaking about.”
After his special release on Netflix some employees of Netflix that identify as transgender took part in a walkout when the company defended The Closer.
In his special, Chapelle made jokes about trans women, genitalia, and TERFs (trans-exclusionary radical feminists) among other controversial topics.
Trans comedian Jaye McBride told CNN “I know [Chappelle] says he wasn’t punching down — he’s absolutely punching down. When you’re just taking this mean position against a minority, no matter who the minority is or who you are, it just comes off as wrong.”
During Chapelle’s set he went on to mention that during the summer of 2020 he had filmed a series of comedy shows for a documentary, but it was never picked up by any studios or producers because of the backlash surrounding The Closer.
“Thank God for Ted Sarandos at Netflix,” he told the audience of the company’s co-CEO. “He’s the only one that didn’t cancel me yet.”
He announced that the documentary on his pandemic comedy shows will be released in theaters in 10 cities in the US and Canada throughout November, along with live performances from him and several guests.
