Dave Chappelle allegedly received a $24.1 million paycheck for his Netflix comedy special, The Closer. The big payday was even more than Netflix paid for its smash hit Squid Game. An employee leaked the information as the streaming service continues to face backlash over remarks made by Chappelle.
Chappelle, 48, has received numerous accolades, and many consider him to be one of the greatest comedians of all time.
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“Dave, in my opinion, you’re the GOAT. In my opinion, your last special has allowed you to surpass the Richard Pryor,” Kevin Hart said of Chappelle on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
Apparently, the GOAT doesn’t come cheap.
An employee leaked financial data to Bloomberg, which is reporting that Netflix spent $24.1 million on The Closer, slightly more than the $23.6 million it paid for Chappelle’s 2019 special, Sticks & Stones. By comparison, the streaming service spent $3.9 million for Inside, Bo Burnham’s recent hour-and-a-half special.
Netflix paid just $21.4 million for the nine-episode series Squid Game, which gave the company its biggest debut hit ever.
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Among the leaked numbers were also viewership stats for the special. The stats revealed why Netflix might be so willing to open their wallet to the comedian; 10 million people have already tuned in to the special.
The Closer has created internal tensions at Netflix. Employees have publicly criticized the special and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos for giving Chappelle a platform for his controversial comedy.
Sarandos has defended the special in a staff memo, saying the company supports ‘creative freedom’ from its talent. Additionally, he has stated that although some people may find standup comedy to be ‘mean-spirited’ but the members enjoyed it, and it’s an important part of their content offering.
The company was quick to retaliate against the suspected leaker. Netflix announced that they had completed an internal review, and only one employee had accessed the information. The company terminated that employee.
“We have let go of an employee for sharing confidential, commercially sensitive information outside the company,” the company said in a statement. “We understand this employee may have been motivated by disappointment and hurt with Netflix but maintaining a culture of trust and transparency is core to our company.”
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Sources: Forbes, New York Post
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