Transgender comedian defends Dave Chappelle over controversial Netflix special: 'No topic is off-limits'



Comedian Flame Monroe says that Dave Chappelle didn't go too far when he made fun of transgender people in his latest Netflix special, "The Closer," adding that "no topic is off-limits" for comedians.

What's a brief history on this?

Chappelle received heavy criticism for the highly controversial special in which he made jokes about transgenderism.

Many viewers have called for Netflix to dump Chappelle and remove his specials, but Netflix co-CEO and chief creative officer Ted Sarandos has insisted that the sanctity of comedic expression must be preserved at all costs.

"Chappelle is one of the most popular stand-up comedians today, and we have a long-standing deal with him," he said in a memo about the special. "His last special 'Sticks & Stones,' also controversial, is our most-watched, stickiest and most award-winning stand-up special to date. 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."

What are the details?

Monroe appeared on Saturday's "CNN Newsroom" where she spoke up in defense of Chappelle.

During the appearance, host Pamela Brown asked whether Monroe laughed or cringed when she heard Chappelle's jokes about transgender people.

“It made me scream out loud laughing because I saw the humor in it. I'm a comedian, I'm a human, and I know who Dave Chappelle is and what Dave Chappelle is. He's a comedian, so I thought it was funny," Monroe insisted. “And some of the things he said, Pam, hear me when I, as a trans person, I did, like 'Ooh,' but when it's the truth and it's funny, it's just humor. It's just laughter. We keep missing that."

She added, "We have to be able to [act] like grown people and stop being so sensitized in this world and be able to take a joke. It's only a joke. Nobody lost their life."

Brown then asked Monroe if she was aware that many of the jokes fell flat and offended some people.

“I absolutely do not see that side," Monroe responded. "I absolutely think that people should allow people to do what they do. Dave Chappelle is a comedian, so we're going to attack Dave Chappelle for talking about gender and transgender, let's talk about how he destroyed the white community. Let's talk about how he bashed the Jewish community on that show. Let's talk about all comedians starting with Margaret Cho, who is Asian, who tears up Asians; Jo Koy, who is Filipino, who destroys Filipinos. Whatever nationality you are, Sarah Silverstein who destroys the Jews, Chelsea Handler destroys the Jewish community, but as a joke because if you pick apart who you are first, it's so much easier for the audience to come with you."

“I didn't take any of that to be offensive enough to take down from Netflix," she insisted. "I applaud Netflix for sticking to their guns. I appreciate them for seeing that the world is not just what you want it to be, but the world is what it is. You have to play along, get along to go along. Everybody just don't want to do that, somebody are already combative and argumentative. I'm not. I'm a happy person."

What else is there to know?

In closing out his latest Netflix special, Chappelle told a story about a friend — a transgender comedian who also previously defended him from making jokes that critics branded transphobic.

He said comedian Daphne Dorman received so much hate in the weeks after she stood up for Chappelle's right to make such jokes that she killed herself.

“I don't know what the trans community did for her," Chappelle said, “but I don't care, because I feel like she wasn't their tribe. She was mine. She was a comedian in her soul."

(H/T: The Daily Wire)

Netflix CEO shuts down internal critics threatening walkout over Dave Chappelle: Stand-up comedy does not incite ‘real-world harm’



Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos is standing firm against internal pressure to pull stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle's latest special from the video streaming service, arguing that "content on screen doesn't directly translate to real-world harm."

What are the details?

In a pair of internal memos issued over the past week, the executive shot down critics from within and outside the company who claim that the special, titled "The Closer," should be removed for content they deem transphobic.

"You should also be aware that some talent may join third parties in asking us to remove the show in the coming days, which we are not going to do," Sarandos said in an original memo to company leadership, obtained by Variety.

"I recognize, however, that distinguishing between commentary and harm is hard, especially with stand-up comedy which exists to push boundaries. Some people find the art of stand-up to be mean-spirited but our members enjoy it, and it's an important part of our content offering," he added.

Then in a follow-up memo to all staff also obtained by Variety, he doubled down on the company's position:

With The Closer, we understand that the concern is not about offensive-to-some content but titles which could increase real world harm (such as further marginalizing already marginalized groups, hate, violence etc.) Last year, we heard similar concerns about 365 Days and violence against women. While some employees disagree, we have a strong belief that content on screen doesn't directly translate to real-world harm.

... In his special, Chappelle makes harsh jokes about many different groups, which is his style and a reason his fans love his comedy and commentary. Stand-up comedians often expose issues that are uncomfortable because the art by nature is a highly provocative. As a leadership team, we do not believe that The Closer is intended to incite hatred or violence against anyone (per our Sensitive Content guidelines).

Sarandos noted in the memo that "The Closer" is far from the first title the streaming service has hosted to contain content that may be considered offensive. He went on to list other titles such as "Sex Education," "Orange is the New Black," "Control Z," and "Hannah Gadsby" as examples of other controversial features.

What's the background?

In "The Closer" special, Chappelle, a firebrand comedian known for cutting and controversial jokes, sparked outrage by poking fun at transgender people's "thin skin" and blasting the effects of "cancel culture."

He also declared that "gender is a fact," to the ire of transgender activists, adding, "Every human being in this room, every human being on earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on earth. That is a fact."

Netflix's hosting of the show immediately drew backlash from the LGBTQ community and those supportive of the community within the company.

Some employees — including a queer transgender one — decided to show their displeasure by crashing an executive meeting in protest. They were promptly removed and later suspended.

Others have threatened to stage a companywide walkout on Oct. 20 in protest, according to The Verge.

"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. We can and must do better!" a leader of the trans ERG reportedly wrote in an internal organizing message.

Netflix CEO defends 'Cuties' film after grand jury indictment: 'It's surprising' that we're 'censoring storytelling'



Netflix chief executive Ted Sarandos defended controversial film "Cuties" recently, after a Texas grand jury indicted the streaming giant for running the project, which features the experiences of four 11-year-old girls involved in a French "sensual dance" troop.

While speaking at the virtual Mipcom market on Monday, Sarandos called the film "misunderstood" and said "it's a little surprising in 2020 America that we're having a discussion about censoring storytelling," Deadline reported.

"It's a film that is very misunderstood with some audiences, uniquely within the United States," Sarandos added. "The film speaks for itself. It's a very personal coming of age film, it's the director's story and the film has obviously played very well at Sundance without any of this controversy and played in theaters throughout Europe without any of this controversy."

The award-winning French film — rated TV-MA (for mature audiences only) in the United States — attracted immediate criticism for its overt sexualization of young children upon its debut on Netflix. Outraged viewers rushed to sign a Change.org petition called "Cancel Netflix Subscription," and the hashtag #CancelNetflix soon began trending on social media.

Shortly after, a Texas grand jury indicted Netflix on charges that the streamer "knowingly promote[d] visual material which depicts the lewd exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child who was younger than 18 years of age at the time the visual material was created, which appeals to the prurient interest in sex, and has no serious, literary, artistic, political, or scientific value."

Throughout the controversy, Netflix has adamantly stood by its decision to stream the film, only offering an apology for using "inappropriate artwork" to promote the project in late August.

In a statement to TheBlaze, a Netflix spokesperson essentially argued that by streaming a film about the sexualization of young children, the company was working to combat the sexualization of young children.

"Cuties is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children. It's an award winning film and a powerful story about the pressure young girls face on social media and from society more generally growing up — and we'd encourage anyone who cares about these important issues to watch the movie," the spokesperson said.

Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Texas grand jury indicts Netflix on criminal charge of 'lewd visual material' of a child in 'Cuties' film. Netflix continues to stand up for the work.



A Texas grand jury has indicted streaming giant Netflix over "Cuties," which it says has a "prurient interest in sex," according to a Deadline report on Tuesday.

"Cuties," an award-winning French film that centers on four 11-year-old girls in a "sensual dance" troupe, is rated TV-MA in the U.S. — for mature audiences only.

Netflix, however, is standing behind the controversial production.

What are the details?

The Texas Rangers served Netflix with a summons on Oct. 1, according to Tyler County District Attorney Lucas Babin.

A portion of the indictment says that the film — as well as Netflix CEOs Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos — "knowingly promote visual material which depicts the lewd exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child who was younger than 18 years of age at the time the visual material was created, which appeals to the prurient interest in sex, and has no serious, literary, artistic, political, or scientific value."

A spokesperson for the company said, "Cuties is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children. This charge is without merit and we stand by the film."

Netflix issued a similar statement to TheBlaze in September.

According to Deadline, the charge is a state jail felony.

The film attracted heavy criticism from viewers and leaders across the globe following its release.

Maïmouna Doucouré, who directed the French film, said in September that she received death threats following the film's release.

"I received numerous attacks on my character from people who had not seen the film, who thought I was actually making a film that was apologetic about hypersexualization of children," Doucouré told Deadline that month. "I also received numerous death threats."

On Tuesday, Babin shared a statement on the film, in which he said he "knew there was probable cause to believe it was criminal."

"The legislators of this state believe promoting certain lewd material of children has destructive consequences," Babin wrote in the now-viral Facebook post. "If such material is distributed on a grand scale, isn't the need to prosecute more, not less?"

Babin added, "A grand jury found probable cause for this felony, and my job is to uphold the laws of this State and see that justice is done."

What else?

In August, Netflix debuted a film poster and trailer for the film.

Following the criticism of the poster art, Netflix said, "We're deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Mignonnes/Cuties. It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which won an award at Sundance. We've now updated the pictures and description."

After its September premiere, social media users banded together and prompted hashtag #CancelNetflix to trend on social media, as well as a related more than Change.org petition that received more than 659,000 signatures in protest of the film.

Cuties | Official Trailer | Netflixwww.youtube.com