Dave Chappelle, the comedian, has spoken out on the backlash to his recent Netflix special. He stated that he will be open to meeting transgender Netflix staff but will not “bend to anyone’s demands.”
In a video shared to his Instagram page on Monday, Chappelle stated, “To the transgender community, I’m more than willing to give you an audience. But you will not summon me.”
Last week, a protest took place outside Netflix’s Los Angeles headquarters, and Chappelle appeared to be responding to it. Hundreds of people protested Chappelle’s comments, including a number of Netflix workers, and urged that Netflix take measures to support the LGBTQ+ community.
Chappelle and Netflix have been chastised for remarks made in the programme, which was published earlier this month. Chappelle made jokes about transgender individuals, declaring that “gender is a fact,” and lamenting the issue surrounding novelist JK Rowling, who has been accused of transphobia.
LGBTQ+ activists and organisations denounced Chappelle’s statements as transphobic, saying they were the latest in a run of anti-LGBTQ+ remarks.
Chappelle referred to the LGBTQ+ community as “the alphabet people” and transgender persons as “the T’s” in a prior comedy special that aired in 2019.
In a statement, the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Glaad said: “Dave Chappelle’s brand has become synonymous with ridiculing trans people and other marginalized communities.
“Negative reviews and viewers loudly condemning his latest special is a message to the industry that audiences don’t support platforming anti-LGBTQ+ diatribes.”
Netflix’s top executive, Ted Sarandos, defended the choice to air the programme.
“You can’t please everybody or the content would be pretty dull,” he said in a statement. “I do think that the inclusion of the special on Netflix is consistent with our comedy offering.”
In an Instagram video, Chappelle denied being asked to talk with transgender Netflix employees.
“I said what I said and boy, I heard what you said,” he told a sympathetic crowd in the video, reportedly filmed at a performance in Cleveland.
“My God, how could I not? You said you want a safe working environment at Netflix, it seems like I’m the only one who can’t go to the office.”
People who wanted to meet with Chappelle about his views would have to meet with him under “some conditions,” he claimed.
“First of all, you cannot come if you have not watched my special from beginning to end,” he said. “You must come to a palace of my choosing at a time of my choosing.”
