Dave Chappelle says Netflix removed ‘Chappelle’s Show’ from service at his request
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“Chappelle’s Show” is no longer on Netflix, and Dave Chappelle is happy about it.
The comedian on Tuesday opened up in a video posted to Instagram about the streaming service’s move, which he says came at his request.
In his video, Chappelle acknowledges that the contract he signed with ViacomCBS allows for his show to stream without additional payment to him — the creator, star and executive producer — he takes issue with the approach.
“They (ViacomCBS) didn’t have to pay me because I signed the contract,” Chappelle said. “But is that right? I found out that these people were streaming my work and they never had to ask me or they never have to tell me. Perfectly legal because I signed the contract. But is that right? I didn’t think so either. That’s why I like working for Netflix.”
CNN has reached out to ViacomCBS for comment.
When reached by CNN, Netflix had no comment.
“Chappelle’s Show” began streaming on Netflix on November 1 and was removed recently.
Chappelle has been part of the Netflix fold since 2016, when the streamer announced it had struck a lucrative three-special deal with the comedian. That deal was eventually expanded.
“I like working for Netflix because when all those bad things happened to me, that company didn’t even exist. And when I found out they were streaming ‘Chappelle’s Show,’ I was furious. How could they not — how could they not know? So you know what I did? I called them, and I told them that this makes me feel bad. And you want to know what they did? They agreed that they would take it off their platform just so I could feel better,” he added.
“Chappelle’s Show” aired for three seasons on Viacom-owned Comedy Central before Chappelle famously and abruptly quit.
It is still available to stream on Comedy Central (with cable subscription) and subscription streaming services CBS All Access and HBO Max. (CNN and HBO Max share parent company WarnerMedia.)
“That’s why I f— with Netflix,” Chappelle added. “Because they paid me my money, they do what they say they’re going to do and they went above and beyond what you can expect from a businessman. They did something just because they thought that I might think that they were wrong. I do, I think if you are f—ing streaming that show you’re fencing stolen goods. They stole that from me. They just took it. I’m not up here trying to tell you guys that I believe that Comedy Central gave me a raw deal just because I’m Black, I believe they gave me a raw deal because this f—ing industry is a monster.”