Following a much anticipated release, earlier this month Netflix premiered Dave Chappelle's latest stand up special The Closer, which has been widely praised by audiences worldwide. However there are many in the LGBTQ+ community who have taken offense to some of the material that Chappelle used in his comedy...particularly with his comments on the transgender community in America.
Chappelle has always been one of the most outspoken comedians around and is no stranger to controversy and backlash. The Closer has raised up with it many opinions and dissenting voices, perhaps none bigger than the employees at Netflix themselves who have staged a walk out in protest.
Netflix Workers Stage Walk Out Over Chappelle Controversy
A rally broke out in the Los Angeles headquarters for Netflix this Wednesday, where many employees brandished signs and bullhorns, demanding that the streaming platform take Chappelle's content down immediately, stating that his comedy is transphobic and hurtful to millions of people around the world. "We shouldn't have to show up quarterly/annually to push back against harmful content that negatively impacts vulnerable communities," organizer Ashlee Marie Preston wrote in a social media post. "Instead, we aim to use this moment to shift the social ecology around what Netflix leadership deems ethical entertainment."
While these kinds of demonstrations have become common in recent years, Netflix hasn't quite faced a storm like this before, and it remains to be seen if they'll cave in to the demands of a very vocal group of employees.
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