Dave Chappelle Gets 'Chappelle's Show' Removed from Netflix over Contract Dispute

BY Josiah HughesPublished Nov 24, 2020

Dave Chappelle's complicated relationship with his wildly popular Chappelle's Show continues nearly two decades after it first aired. After referencing his lack of payment from streamers in his Saturday Night Live monologue, the comedian has now successfully had the show removed from Netflix.

Chappelle shared a new Instagram video entitled "Unforgiven" in which he details his frustrations with the ViacomCBS contract he signed in the early 2000s, adding that he managed to have Netflix remove the show.

In the 18-minute clip, available below, Chappelle opened up about the raw deal he got from his contract.

 "People think I made a lot of money from Chappelle's Show," he said. "When I left that show I never got paid. 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 'cause I signed the contract. But is that right? I didn't think so either."

Chappelle, who has recently released multiple standup specials with Netflix, brought his frustrations up with the streamer.

"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," he added. "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."

Watch the full explanation video below.
 

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