If you watched Chappelle’s Show on Netflix recently, and then had trouble finding it again, it’s not a glitch or your own mistake. Netflix took the show down — at the request of its star and co-creator Dave Chappelle, who says he now wants to “boycott” the show.
(Yes, Dave Chappelle wants you to not watch Chappelle’s Show.)
Chappelle has had a relationship with Netflix for the last several years, releasing standup specials through the service. And he was surprised to discover Chappelle’s Show streaming there — as well as on HBO Max — because he did not approve the decisions, or get paid for them. That’s because, according to Chappelle in a lengthy standup set that he posted to Instagram, when he quit Chappelle’s Show shortly after he signed a lucrative contract with Comedy Central, he “never got paid”:
They didn’t have to pay me because I signed the contract. But is that right? I found out that these people were streaming my work and they never had to ask me or they never have to tell me. Perfectly legal ’cause I signed the contract. But is that right? I didn’t think so either.
Chappelle brought his complaint to Netflix, and Netflix actually honored it — they took Chappelle’s Show down from the service. “That’s why I like working for Netflix,” Chappelle added. “They agreed that they would take it off their platform just so I could feel better.”
But Chappelle’s not done. He’s now calling on viewers to “boycott” the show everywhere until he’s paid. He says that sites that license the show from the rights holders, ViacomCBS, are essentially “fencing stolen goods.” After his agents said there was nothing he could legally do about the situation because of the contracts he signed he said he is now “begging” his “real boss” — i.e. his fans — not to watch the show. “If you ever liked me, if you ever think there was anything worthwhile about me,” Chappelle says, “I’m begging you, please don’t watch that show. I’m not asking you to boycott any network — boycott me. Boycott Chappelle’s Show. Do not watch it unless they pay me.”
It’s a pretty unprecedented situation. Will it change things? Will more companies follow suit in the hope of staying in the Dave Chappelle business in the future? For the moment, Chappelle’s Show is still streaming on HBO Max. You can watch Chappelle’s full Instagram video, which runs 18 minutes and is titled “Unforgiven,” below:
Gallery — The Funniest, Weirdest Thumbnails on Netflix:
