Netflix CEO Reed Hastings Vows to Acquire More Dave Chappelle Specials Despite Prior Controversy: ‘We Would Do it Again and Again’

Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings, revealed that despite the controversy raised over Dave Chappelle’s last special with the streaming giant, they are determined to continued working with him.

Back in 2021, Chappelle released his final stand-up special from his Netflix deal, The Closer. Despite the comedians massive popularity with his previous specials, this release drew wide controversy from Netflix users and employees alike.

Chappelle came under fire for what many believed to be transphobic jokes and comments made during the show. Boycotts of the company grew as critics demanded the special be removed from the site. The company and Chappelle did not budge.

Despite the controversy, The Closer did garner a Emmy nomination and a Grammy nomination for the company.

Hastings sat down for a conversation at The New York Times 2022 DealBook conference with journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin. During the discussion, he spoke candidly about the companies relationship with Chappelle.

“Dave Chappelle created some controversy, as you know, on your platform, and we were talking — we’ve been talking also about platforming sometimes hate speech or anti-Semitic speech or other kinds of speech. How do you think about that today?” Sorkin asked.

“Our brand is trying to be the most exciting entertainment company in the world, and Chappelle’s dead center for us. He is the best or one of the best. And that special was one of the most entertaining and watched specials we’ve ever had,” Hastings said.

“We would do it again and again. So we clearly need to be more, obvious and direct about that, which we’ve done since, you know, with employees and with people who care about Netflix — that we’re about entertainment and Chappelle’s very entertaining and you know, provocative. And again, that’s the core of what we’re doing,” he concluded.

Watch above via New York Times.