Dave Chappelle did just about everything correct with his comeback to standup comedy. He toured the local clubs, shot several specials for Netflix, and did right by dedicating one of those performances to speaking out on George Floyd's wrongful death at the hands of police. On top of that, he's hosted Saturday Night Live several times since his return to the limelight, which speaks to how well Chappelle's career is doing. Things should stay on the same trajectory, but the comedian may have just pulled the plug on his own career.
Recently, Netflix debuted a new Dave Chappelle special called The Closer. It's the last of his tour with the streaming service that began with the Age of Spin. Netflix might recruit the comedian for more. That is assuming the backlash from his latest special doesn't create a rift between him and the streamer.
In case anyone hasn't already heard, fans have become divided over the content in The Closer. Chappelle has never shied away from the sensitive, controversial, or explicit, which audiences seem to like. However, his comments in Chapter Six have drawn the ire of the LGBTQA+ community.
It's no secret that Chappelle has made jokes about trans people in the past, some of which can be considered transphobic. Audiences have let Chappelle slide because his actions proved the comedian doesn't hold ill will towards trans people. It's just comedy for him. He's reiterated the sentiment several times over, although Chappelle may have taken things one step too far.
At the moment, some feel the jokes are not a big deal, noting how the comedian speaks fondly of a trans friend in the special. Others, however, have said Chappelle's comments are disparaging to the trans community as a whole. They're ready to cancel him altogether.
One comedian, though, had an intriguing take on their colleagues who go on stage and do what Chappelle did.
Netflix Reaction
What's been interesting is Netflix's response to all this controversy. The streaming service reportedly terminated three employees after they tweeted dissenting views against Chappelle and their employers. That's raised concern over how Netflix handles employee protests.
Ironically, the streaming service is standing by Chappelle. Ted Sarandos, a spokesperson for Netflix, said the comedian's language didn't incite hate or violence, nor did it cross any lines. Those comments, however, are hard to accept when the streaming service hasn't considered their employees' point of view. The streaming service's spokesperson said they "encourage their employees to disagree openly," but how many employers say that and mean it? Or say such a loaded statement without the idea of retaliating against an employee who draws forth any amount of negative publicity? Netflix did terminate the three employees who openly protested after all and supposedly for attending a virtual meeting. That's not a condemnable indiscretion, and those in attendance probably weren't privy to any information that would compromise the company. Furthermore, firing an employee for logging on sounds unreasonable, almost as if the action were motivated by another reason.
Regardless of why Netflix fired them, the streamer reversed course. All three of the suspended employees are back at work. Oddly enough, the company's reason for reinstating them, according to a report by Deadline, is the streaming service found no "ill-intent" by the employees attending a director-level meeting. It should've never been a question seeing as how Netflix could've traced anything ill-gotten from the conference back to the employees not approved to be there. The streamer presumably takes precautions to protect sensitive information, so terminating a trio of employees who work for the company in this circumstance, again, sounds unreasonable.
Walkout Quashed
While the streaming service has rectified its' wrongs of late, Netflix isn't rolling over in the least. An unnamed employee who is the leader of a trans resource group attempted to organize a walkout. The protest ignited by the streamer's handling of Dave Chappelle's The Closer gained traction this week alongside outcries against the executives' decision to terminate three outspoken employees. Netflix, however, has put a quick stop to any talks of a walkout by terminating the employee organizing the October 20th event.
Keep in mind that the unnamed employee might not be the only member of Netflix's staff staging a walkout. Assuming multiple employees intended on participating, any one of them with the same drive as their former leader can make it happen. Plus, those involved now know their employer is aware of their intent, and they'll take extra precautions to avoid giving the company a heads-up.
Whatever happens on those ends, it's Dave Chappelle who needs to be the most concerned. Because while his career is still on an upshot, and the comedian still has a decent relationship with Netflix, other productions could become hesitant of hiring him.
Looking at all the negative headlines that spawned since The Closer debuted, there's a lot of damage control to be done. Netflix doesn't have too much to be concerned with since the company can cut ties with Chappelle if the news ever gets too bad. However, for a new streaming service or network eyeing the comedian, they'll need to take the same backlash into account. Public relations experts are around to handle circumstances like the one Chappelle has put Netflix in, but an experienced one will advise against recruiting him. And that could be detrimental to Chappelle's surging rise back to stardom.
Whether that's to befall the comedian or not, Chappelle now has the wrong type of spotlight on him. He was doing so well before, even with his occasional insensitive trans jokes. It's just his latest admission to proudly being a "TERF," a trans-exclusionary radical feminist, has aligned him with the likes of J.K. Rowling, a writer despised for making equally derogatory remarks about trans individuals.
In doing so, Chappelle has left former fans with a bad taste in their mouths, and they might not be so receptive to future projects knowing that he could use his platform to disparage another group of people. Because while trans people are the subject at the moment, if Chappelle wants to keep playing off the shock factor, he's going to target another sensitive topic, talk about it flippantly onstage, and refuse to take responsibility for the subtext his words convey. We've seen him do that already by not considering the ramifications of glorifying TERFs onstage. What's next?