You've got to get up pretty early in the morning to put one over on comedian Dave Chappelle, and even then you're in for a challenge. Why? Because Chappelle has demonstrated time and again that he's a sharp-minded force to be reckoned with and I pity whoever thinks that they can take advantage of his talents. Recently ViacomCBS did the unthinkable when they licensed his Comedy Central series, Chappelle’s Show, without giving him a cut of the action. Chappelle recently spoke about the inconsiderate move during his Saturday Night Live monologue, and now he's released a video that explains his position and how he plans to bring those responsible to task.
In a video, titled Unforgiven, which was posted on Instagram this morning, Chappelle explains that he asked Netflix, where he has a deal for the rights to host his stand-up specials, to take Chappelle’s Show, which the streamer had licensed on a non-exclusive basis, off the subscription-based service. Thankfully, Netflix complied by removing the variety show from its platform last night.
You can watch Chappelle's Unforgiven video via Instagram below:
“People think I made a lot of money from Chappelle’s Show,” Chappelle says in the video, titled Unforgiven. “When I left that show I never got paid. They (ViacomCBS) 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 ‘cause I signed the contract. But is that right? I didn’t think so either. That’s why I like working for Netflix. 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– 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. That’s why I fuck with Netflix. Because they paid me my money, they do what they say they’re going to do, and they went above and beyond what you could expect from a businessman. They did something just because they thought that I might think that they were wrong. And I do — I think that if you are fucking streaming that show you’re fencing stolen goods.”
In wanting to continue making an example of the affair, Chappelle spoke directly to his fans while on Saturday Night Live earlier this month. “So I’m not going to the agents, I’m coming to my real boss — I’m coming to you. I’m begging you — if you ever liked me, if you ever think there was anything worthwhile about me, I’m begging you, please don’t watch that show. I’m not asking you to boycott any network — boycott me. Boycott Chappelle’s Show. Do not watch it unless they pay me.”
Obviously, Chappelle is not the type to turtle-up when he believes that someone is out to screw him. After all, he didn't climb the comedic ladder just to have his work line the pockets of organizations like Netflix and ViacomCBS without consent, no sir. If your intention is to get richer by hosting his hard work you best be ready to pay the man. It's either that or be left looking like a fool. It's not much of a choice, and yet, I urge you to make the right call.
For those hoping to still catch episodes of Chappelle's Show via streaming, you can still find it on Comedy Central and CBS All Access outlets as well as HBO Max.