Netflix Employees Plan Walkout Over Dave Chappelle Special Amidst Internal Turmoil
A wave of discontent is sweeping through Netflix following the release of Dave Chappelle’s latest comedy special, The Closer. The special’s anti-transgender commentary has ignited a firestorm of controversy, both within the company and externally, prompting a planned company-wide walkout by transgender and allied employees scheduled for October 20th. The planned action underscores a growing rift between Netflix leadership and a segment of its workforce who feel the streaming platform is failing to live up to its professed commitment to inclusivity and responsible content creation.
The controversy stems from what many view as harmful and offensive remarks made by Chappelle regarding the LGBTQ+ community, particularly transgender individuals. Adding fuel to the fire, Chappelle declared himself a "trans-exclusionary radical feminist," or TERF, a label that has become synonymous with those who hold anti-transgender views while identifying as feminists.
In response to the special and the company’s handling of the backlash, a leader of Netflix’s trans employee resource group (ERG) circulated an internal organizing message, obtained by The Verge, expressing deep disappointment and frustration with Netflix’s approach. The message pointedly accused the streaming giant of undermining its own mission of creating inclusive content by repeatedly platforming content that harms the transgender community, while simultaneously failing to adequately support and promote transgender representation.
“Trans Lives Matter. Trans Rights Matter. And as an organization, Netflix has continually failed to show deep care in our mission to Entertain the World by repeatedly releasing content that harms the Trans community and continually failing to create content that represents and uplifts Trans content,” the ERG message stated, articulating the core grievance of those planning to walk out. "We can and must do better!" The message encapsulates the sentiment of many within Netflix who believe the company’s actions are inconsistent with its stated values.
Adding to the tension, the announcement of the planned walkout comes on the heels of a separate incident involving the suspension of three employees who allegedly attended a quarterly business review meeting without authorization. The timing of the suspensions raised suspicions, with many believing they were retaliatory measures for expressing concerns about Chappelle’s special.
During the quarterly business review, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos reportedly briefed the company’s top 500 employees on how to address concerns raised by employees and talent regarding Chappelle’s remarks. One of the suspended employees, Terra Field, a trans and queer-identifying senior software engineer, had previously voiced strong criticism of the special on Twitter.
Field, whose Twitter thread detailing the damaging implications of Chappelle’s commentary went viral, argued that platforming TERF ideology directly harms transgender people. She emphasized that the issue isn’t a matter of opposing viewpoints but rather a matter of life and death for transgender individuals. She was later reinstated after Netflix determined she had no ill intent.
"Netflix has reinstated me after finding that there was no ill-intent in my attending the QBR meeting," Field tweeted, confirming her reinstatement and indicating her need for time to process the events. "At the very least, I feel vindicated."
The controversy reached a new level when an internal memo penned by Sarandos defending Chappelle’s special was leaked to Variety. In the memo, Sarandos characterized Chappelle as one of the most popular stand-up comedians and highlighted the success of his previous controversial special, Sticks & Stones, noting its high viewership, engagement, and award recognition.
"Chapelle is one of the most popular stand-up comedians today, and we have a long-standing deal with him," Sarandos wrote. "His last special “Sticks & Stones,” also controversial, is our most watched, stickiest and most award winning stand-up special to date."
Sarandos further defended Netflix’s commitment to creative freedom, even when it results in content that some may find harmful. "As with our other talent, we work hard to support their creative freedom — even though this means there will always be content on Netflix some people believe is harmful," he added.
This defense of creative freedom has been met with intense criticism from employees and advocates who argue that it prioritizes profit over the well-being and safety of transgender individuals. Critics contend that platforming harmful rhetoric, even under the guise of artistic expression, contributes to a hostile environment and perpetuates discrimination.
The trans ERG message specifically targeted what it perceived as condescending communication from company leadership. The message indicated that Netflix’s LGBTQ+ employees felt that their concerns had been dismissed and trivialized.
“As we’ve discussed through Slack, email, text, and everything in between our leadership has shown us they do not uphold the values to which we are held,” the message read. “Between the numerous emails and non-answers that have been given, we have been told explicitly that we somehow cannot understand the nuance of certain content.” The feeling of being misunderstood and unheard has fueled the momentum behind the planned walkout.
The Netflix controversy highlights a larger debate about the responsibilities of streaming platforms in curating content and the balance between creative freedom and social responsibility. The outcome of the October 20th walkout, and Netflix’s response to it, will likely have a significant impact on the company’s internal culture and its relationship with its LGBTQ+ employees, as well as setting a precedent for how other streaming platforms navigate similar issues in the future. The situation underscores the growing demand for corporations to align their actions with their stated values of diversity, inclusion, and social responsibility, particularly in the face of controversial content.
