Chappelle has slammed ViacomCBS for licensing his old show titled Chappelle’s Show to Netflix, without paying him any money for it.
In an Instagram video titled Unforgiven, Chappelle revealed that he had requested Netflix to take Chappelle’s Show off its streaming service after he found out that ViacomCBS was licensing the program without paying his dues. Chappelle has a long-standing relationship with Netflix as he has been doing stand-up specials for the streaming service for over four years now.
In the Instagram video, Dave Chappelle reminisced about his early days as a comedian and how he never got paid for Chappelle’s Show and said, “When I left that show I never got paid.” He added, “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. That’s why I like working for Netflix.”
Chappelle further said, “I like working for Netflix because when all those bad things happened to me, that company didn’t even exist. And when I found out they were streaming Chappelle’s Show, I was furious. How could they not know? 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.”
Comedy Central, the network that originally aired Chappelle’s Show, can legally license the show to other streaming platforms. “I think that if you are f*cking streaming that show you’re fencing stolen goods,” the stand-up comedian added.
Dave Chappelle then appealed to his fans to boycott the show that was once his claim to fame. The show had a short but successful run from 2003-2006. 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.”
