Dave Chappelle explains why he asked Netflix to take down his sketch from streaming platform

Popular comedian Dave Chappelle has asked streaming service provider Netflix to take down sketch comedy program Chappelle’s Show and the latter has agreed. The three seasons of the comedy show were made available on Netflix earlier this month are no longer there. Dave says the reason is that ViacomCBS, which was the original rights holder, has been licensing Chappelle’s Show without his permission. In other words, due to a contract he signed with them, Dave does not have the rights to the show, despite it carrying his name. Chappelle’s Show originally was televised on ViacomCBS-owned Comedy Central from 2003 to 2006, until Chappelle famously quit the show. Although Netflix has obliged to remove the show, it still airs on streaming services HBO Max, Comedy Central’s own website and app, and CBS All Access. Dave currently has a deal with Netflix that began in 2016 and according to him, the streaming service decided to pull the rug under the show to respect his wishes. In an 18-minute video clip from an unreleased standup routine posted on his Instagram handle, Dave can be seen addressing his call with Netflix. “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,” Dave said during the segment. See the post

He also claimed that he “never got paid” for the Chappelle’s Show. “They didn’t have to pay me because I signed the contract. But is that right? 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 because I signed the contract. But is that right?” when the crowd replied with “Yes’s”, Dave said, “I didn’t think so either”. He said streaming the show was like “fencing stolen goods” and blamed the industry for being a “monster” and binding him with such a raw deal.