Netflix has removed the often controversial, yet ever-popular sketch comedy series Chappelle’s Show from its streaming platform at the request of Dave Chappelle himself.
Deadline confirmed that the streaming platform quietly took away all episodes of the show overnight and this morning, Chappelle himself posted an 18-minute long Instagram video shedding more light on the matter. Aptly titled “Unforgiven,” the comedian aired out his grievances with ViacomCBS, which is something he alluded to back when he hosted Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago.
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?
He continued, “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.”
Chappelle also urged his fans and followers to boycott his show until he gets what’s rightfully owed to him. Chappelle’s Show had a short yet successful run on Comedy Central in 2003-2006 until he abruptly left for South Africa in an effort to preserve his emotional and mental wellbeing. He currently has a deal to produce more standup specials with Netflix.