Comedy Central/Netflix
- Dave Chappelle says that Netflix removed his popular sketch show “Chappelle’s Show” from their streaming catalog after he asked them to.
- Chappelle said that ViacomCBS, who owns the show’s rights, was licensing it for streaming without his permission.
- He said that he called Netflix and told them that “this makes me feel bad” and in response, he says, “they agreed that they would take it off their platform just so I could feel better.”
- Chappelle also said that ViacomCBS did not pay him after he left “Chappelle’s Show” in 2006 and urged fans not to watch the show until the pay dispute has been settled.
- “I’m begging you, if you ever liked me, if you ever think there was anything worthwhile about me, please don’t watch that show,” he said.
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Netflix added “Chappelle’s Show” to its library at the beginning of November — but two weeks later and the show has been removed at the request of its creator, Dave Chappelle.
The 47-year-old comedian revealed the news during a recent stand-up show posted on Instagram on Tuesday where he said that ViacomCBS, who owns the rights to the show, was licensing it for streaming without informing him.
“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 ‘cause I signed the contract. But is that right? I didn’t think so either.”
Chapelle said that when he found out that Netflix — who produced several of his most recent stand-up specials — were streaming the show he was “furious.”
“How could they not know?” he said. “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.”
Chappelle also said ViacomCBS refused to pay him after he abruptly quit "Chappelle's Show" in 2006 and he urged fans not to watch the show until the pay dispute has been settled.
"I'm begging you, if you ever liked me, if you ever think there was anything worthwhile about me, please don't watch that show," he said. "I'm not asking you to boycott any network — boycott me. Boycott 'Chappelle's Show.' Do not watch it unless they pay me."
The sketch show is available to stream as well as purchase on several ViacomCBS brands including CBS All Access, and it was recently added to HBO Max.
Earlier this month, Chappelle took aim at both Netflix and HBO Max for streaming the show during his monologue on the first post-election episode of SNL.
During the razor-sharp monologue, Chappelle drew comparisons between himself and his great-grandfather, who was born a slave, and the fact that the services were streaming a show that bears their family name without paying him.
"If he could see me now, he'd probably be like, 'This n---- got bought and sold more than I have,'" he joked.
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