Netflix's Ted Sarandos Makes New Statement Over Dave Chapelle Backlash & The Company's Response

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos is still supportive of comedian Dave Chappelle, as he proved at last night’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland. Sarandos, joined by his wife, Nicole Avant, was there to support his father-in-law, former Motown Chairman Clarence Avant, who was getting inducted

Netflix, which quietly opened a studio in Bushwick, Brooklyn last month, wants to set up shop in New Jersey as well and said Tuesday it plans to bid for a site at the Fort Monmouth military base.

After nearly three weeks of controversy, Netflix firings and suspensions of trans staff, and protests on the streets of Hollywood over remarks centered on the trans and LGBTQ+ communities by Dave Chappelle in his The Closer special, the comedian today is finally responding significantly — and it’s a mixed bag, to put it mildly.

Netflix employees currently protesting Dave Chappelle’s stand-up special The Closer.The comedian labelled himself a “TERF” in his set, after he addressed the controversy surrounding Harry Potter author JK Rowling.“They canceled J.K. Rowling – my God,” Chappelle said in the show.

The head of Netflix is walking back some of his words.

Chappelle came under fire from prominent social justice organizations earlier this month for jokes targeting trans and other LGBTQ+ people in his new special. “Gender is a fact,” he says at one point in the half-hour set.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterNetflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos is speaking out over continued criticism of the Dave Chappelle comedy special “The Closer.”On the eve of a planned employee walkout at the streaming giant — organized by trans and LGBTQ+ staffers, content creators and allies — Sarandos addressed numerous points related to recent jokes from Chappelle that have incensed the trans community and been labeled as harmful.The events around “The Closer” have represented a rare blunder for

Today was a big day for Netflix, which reported strong quarterly earnings and “mind-boggling” 142 million households that have sampled runaway hit Squid Game. But the celebration was subdued in the streamer’s upper echelons as the company is still reeling from the internal — and external — backlash against transphobic statements in Dave Chappelle’s latest Netflix special The Closer.

Organizers of a planned walkout this week at Netflix of the streamers’ trans employees said Monday that they will present a list of “firm asks” to company co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos and are working on a public service announcement supporting their cause that includes participation from Queer Eye‘s Jonathan Van Ness, upcoming She-Hulk star Jameela Jamil, Sara Ramirez, Angelica Ross, TS Madison, Eureka O’Hara and Colton Haynes.

Ellise Shafer administratorA rally in support of the Netflix trans employee walkout on Oct. 20, dubbed “Stand Up in Solidarity,” will present co-CEO Ted Sarandos with a list of “firm asks” and feature a PSA from stars including Angelica Ross, Jonathan Van Ness, Jameela Jamil, Eureka O’Hara and Colton Haynes.Organized by activist Ashlee Marie Preston, the in-person rally will take place on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

Hannah Gadsby is speaking out.

Christopher Vourlias Before Netflix had grown into a world-conquering streaming giant, “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” director R.J. Cutler would routinely bump into the company’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos on the film festival circuit.

The Closer.A Bloomberg report published on Wednesday (October 13) stated Netflix spent $24.1million on The Closer and $23.6million on the comedian’s 2019 special, Sticks & Stones, comparing them to the $3.9million spent for Bo Burnham’s Inside and Squid Game’s $21.4million.From internal documents seen by the publication, the Sticks & Stones special was measured as having an “impact value” of $19.4million by Netflix, meaning it cost more than the value it generated.In a statement released to NME,

Netflix‘s decision to keep Dave Chappelle’s special up on their platform.The stand-up special, called The Closer, features Chappelle addressing the controversy surrounding Harry Potter author JK Rowling.“They cancelled J.K. Rowling – my God,” Chappelle said in the show.

Hannah Gadsby is slamming Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos over his recent comments defending Dave Chappelle’s controversial stand-up special, “The Closer”.

Naman Ramachandran Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby has spoken out strongly against Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos after being referenced in his memo defending Dave Chappelle.“Adults can watch violence, assault and abuse – or enjoy shocking stand-up comedy – without it causing them to harm others,” Sarandos had said in a staff memo on Wednesday, as revealed by Variety. “We are working hard to ensure marginalized communities aren’t defined by a single story.

From the moment Netflix announced itself as an original programming player with House Of Cards, the streamer has been touting its great relationship with talent. That reputation has taken hit over the last week in the wake of Dave Chappelle’s controversial new special The Closer which has had top Netflix talent denounce the comedian’s comments about transgender people as well as Netflix’s support of Chappelle led by co-CEO Ted Sarandos.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticThe second memo that Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos issued to Netflix staff about Dave Chappelle and stand-up comedy only proves that he doesn’t understand why people are actually upset about how Chappelle approaches transgender people in his new special “The Closer.” In his first response, Sarandos emphasized that even if “some people find the art of stand-up to be mean-spirited … our members enjoy it.” In the second, he again asserts Chappelle’s right to “artistic

The celebrated film and stage director Sam Mendes tonight tests the post-Covid viability of a new Broadway with The Lehman Trilogy, the story of the financial family dynasty that crashed along with the global economy in 2008. The show nearly opened the pandemic turned the lights out at all Broadway houses, rendering New York City a ghost town.