Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said the company would order Dave Chappelle’s comedy specials “again and again” at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit on Wednesday. Chappelle’s last comedy special, The Closer, came under fire by employees for being transphobic.
“We’re just trying to be the most exciting entertainment company and more,” Hastings said when asked about how Netflix deals with controversy. “That special was one of the most entertaining watch specials we’ve ever had. We would do it again and again.” Hastings then goes on to describe Chappelle as “very entertaining and provocative,” aligning with Netflix’s overall goal of being “about entertainment.”
Netflix bought The Closer for $24.1 million, and it premiered on the platform last year. While it left many staff members uncomfortable with Chappelle’s jokes about the LGBTQ+ community, Netflix stood by it anyway. This led a group of employees to rally against and openly criticize Netflix’s choice to have the special on the platform. However, Netflix responded by suspending three trans workers, two of whom ended up resigning while another, B. Pagels-Minor, was fired over claims that they leaked confidential information. (Pagels-Minor has denied this claim.)
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said at the time that the platform doesn’t allow titles on Netflix “that are designed to incite hate or violence” but that the company doesn’t believe “The Closer crosses that line.” Sarandos later walked back on this statement and said he “screwed up.” In January, The Verge reported that Netflix had sent recruiters talking points about how to avoid conversations about The Closer with potential employees.
Sarandos’s comments follow much criticism of Chappelle’s Netflix special The Closer, deemed by many to be homophobic and transphobic. In keeping with much of the comic’s recent output, the one-off features jokes on the genitalia of transgender people, pronouns and the rapper DaBaby – who made controversial comments on HIV/Aids earlier in the year – among other subject matter.
Field was one of three employees suspended by the company for subsequently attempting to attend an executive meeting. She has since been reinstated. On 16 October, it was reported that the company had fired a trans employee for leaking “commercially sensitive” documents in the wake of the controversy around the special.
