“I Do Sh*ts With More Backbone Than You!” Hannah Gadsby Calls Out Netflix Executive Over Dave Chappelle Comedy

“I Do Sh*ts With More Backbone Than You!” Hannah Gadsby Calls Out Netflix Executive Over Dave Chappelle Comedy
Mary Madigan
By Mary Madigan



Australian Comedian Hannah Gadsby has slammed Netflix executive, Ted Sarandos after he used Gadsby’s presence on the platform to defend Dave Chappelle’s new comedy special on Netflix. 

Chappelle’s recent comedy special, The Closer, which debuted on Netflix last week, has been met with backlash, after Chappelle used his special to discuss transgender and gay people, including statements like “gender is a fact.”

Naturally, as soon as the special was released on Netflix, Twitter erupted. A number of commentators have described the special as transphobic, with writer Saeed Jones describing it on Twitter, as: “I felt like I’d just been stabbed by someone I once admired and now he was demanding that I stop bleeding.”

Others have defended Chappelle.

According to Variety, there was also internal dissension. Openly transgender senior software engineer, Terra Field, was suspended from her role at Netflix after calling out Chappelle’s special. Field tagged Netflix in the tweets. 

Variety, also reported that Netflix has said it did not suspend Field because of tweets, but for crashing an internal meeting. The streaming service has since reinstated Field. 

Netflix has now responded to the messy backlash. According to ABC, co-chief executive and chief content officer Ted Sarando, sent a memo around to staff that read: “We are working hard to ensure marginalised communities aren’t defined by a single story. So we have Sex Education, Orange Is The New Black, Control Z, Hannah Gadsby and Dave Chappelle all on Netflix. The key to this is increasing diversity on the content team itself.”

Gadsby, who is an openly gay comedian with two highly acclaimed specials on the platform, was not pleased to be included in Sarando’s memo.

She took to Instagram to call out the platform saying: “Hey Ted Sarandos! Just a quick note to let you know that I would prefer if you didn’t drag my name into your mess.

“Now I have to deal with even more of the hate and anger that Dave Chapelle’s fans like to unleash on me every time Dave gets 20 million dollars to process his emotionally stunted partial world view.

“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… I do shits with more backbone than you. That’s just a joke! I definitely didn’t cross a line because you just told the world there isn’t one.”

The post has since received over 60,000 likes.




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