“F— you and your amoral algorithm cult.”
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos continues to defend outspoken comedian Dave Chappelle’s controversial comedy special, which came under fire for comments the comedian made about transgender people — and one of the people he cited in his most recent defense doesn’t want her name anywhere near any of it.
Hannah Gadsby gained international acclaim with her stand-up comedy/confessional “Nanette,” which spoke candidly and at times painfully about her experiences as a gay woman. It was an incredibly powerful piece that pushed the boundaries of what comedy can be, earning Gadsby both an Emmy and a Peabody Award in 2019.
The streamer has rightfully been very proud of Gadsby’s contribution to their comedy lineup, but the Australian comedian drew a very clear line in the sand with an incendiary Instagram post published overnight Thursday in the United States.
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“Just a quick note to let you know that I would prefer if you didn’t drag my name into your mess,” she wrote on the post. “Now I have to deal with even more of the hate and anger that Dave Chappelle’s fans like to unleash on me every time Dave gets 20 million dollars to process his emotionally stunted partial word view.”
She went on to brutally lay into Sarandos, adding, “You didn’t pay me nearly enough to deal with the real world consequences of the hate speech dog whistling you refuse to acknowledge, Ted. F— you and your amoral algorithm cult.”
That last is a reference to Netflix’s well-publicized focus on mathematical and statistical algorithms and analysis of viewership data that they use, at least in part, to make decisions about which shows to pick up, renew and cancel.
“I do s—- with more back bone than you,” she continued, with a final jab. “That’s just a joke! I definitely didn’t cross a line because you just told the world there isn’t one.”
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Despite a public outcry over Chappelle’s “The Closer,” Sarandos said in a memo to staff, as noted by The Hollywood Reporter, that it would not be removed from the platform because it “doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm.”
He then said that Chappelle’s voice is just one voice among many. “We are working hard to ensure marginalized communities aren’t defined by a single story,” he wrote in his memo. “So we have ‘Sex Education,’ ‘Orange is the New Black,’ ‘Control Z,’ Hannah Gadsby and Dave Chappelle all on Netflix. Key to this is increasing diversity on the content team itself.”
THR further reports that transgender staffers at Netflix are planning a virtual walkout — as many work from home — on Wednesday in protest of Saranda’s memos and ongoing support of Chappelle’s special.
The comedian has had his supporters, too, with Damon Wayans telling TMZ that Chappelle in effect “freed the slaves” by opening the door for other comedians who might be afraid to tackle many subjects in our current “cancel culture” climate.
As for Chappelle himself, TMZ has noted that the comedian doesn’t seem bothered by the negative reactions at all.
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