Netflix Employees Stage Walkout Over Controversy Surrounding Dave Chappelle

Dave Chappelle's latest comedy special 'The Closer' drew widespread criticism from LGBTQIA+ advocates.

Dave Chappelle's stand-up The Closer dropped on Netflix on 5 October.

(Photo Courtesy: IMDb)

Employees at Netflix staged a walkout led by the transgender employee resources group and conducted a protest outside the company’s headquarters in California, against the latest Dave Chappelle special The Closer. The new special is being criticised for being transphobic and offensive, with Chappelle declaring that he’s ‘Team Terf’.

(TERF stands for 'trans exclusionary radical feminists' and refers to those people who believe feminism should exclude transgender rights.)

'Our Employees Are Encouraged to Disagree Openly': Netflix

The resource group has presented Netflix with a group of demands including asking for “measures…to avoid future instances of platforming transphobia and hate speech.”

Last week, Netflix fired a Black, transgender, and pregnant employee who assisted with the walkout. Netflix alleged that the employee “leaked confidential data.” Netflix had also suspended a transgender employee Terra Field who had openly questioned the company’s decision to airing shows like The Closer. She was later hired back.

A spokesperson for Netflix denied that Field was suspended over her views. In a statement to Verge, they said, “It is absolutely untrue to say that we have suspended any employee for tweeting about this show. Our employees are encouraged to disagree openly and we support their right to do so.”

Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos Reacts to Controversy Around Dave Chappelle's Stand-up

On 8 October, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos defended their decision to keep the special on the streaming service by saying that he doesn’t believe The Closer ‘crosses that line’ on hate.

Ted Sarandos also reportedly sent out a memo, obtained by Variety, that said that he believes that “content on-screen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm.” In response to the memo, a staffer told the Hollywood Reporter, “The memo was very disrespectful. It didn’t invite a robust conversation about this hard topic, and that’s normally how things go.”

The Verge published an email Ted Sarandos sent out following the initial outrage which read, “Chappelle is one of the most popular stand-up comedians today, and we have a long standing deal with him. His last special, Sticks & Stones, also controversial, is our most watched, stickiest, and most award winning stand-up special to date.”

The email further read, “As with our other talent, we work hard to support their creative freedom - even though this means there will always be content on Netflix some people believe is harmful, like Cuties, 365 Days, 13 Reasons Why, or My Unorthodox Life.”

'It's Time to Listen to LGBTQ Employees': Advocacy Group GLAAD

Sarandos also addressed the points trans and other LGBTQ+ staff members brought up over the past few weeks. In a conversation with Variety, Sarandos admitted that he ‘screwed up that internal communication’ and he should’ve ‘led with more humanity’.

Ted Sarandos said, “Meaning, I had a group of employees who were definitely feeling pain and hurt from a decision we made. And I think that needs to be acknowledged up front before you get into the nuts and bolts of anything. I didn’t do that.”

However, Sarandos reiterated that he doesn’t believe The Closer is ‘hate’, adding that his definition of hate is: “Does it intend to cause physical harm?”

He added, "Where we’ll definitely draw the line is on something that would intentionally call for physically harming other people or even remove protections. For me, intent to cause physical harm crosses the line, for sure."

The LGBTQIA+ advocacy group GLAAD said in a statement, "Netflix has a policy that content ‘designed to incite hate or violence’ is not allowed on the platform, but we all know that anti-LGBTQ content does exactly that. While Netflix is home to groundbreaking LGBTQ stories, now is the time for Netflix execs to listen to LGBTQ employees, industry leaders, and audiences and commit to living up to their own standards.”

In 2016, comedian Dave Chappelle signed a contract with Netflix for three specials for the platform. While his previous shows had also drawn criticism from some for being transphobic and homophobic, The Closer has drawn for widespread criticism.