Monty Python star Terry Gilliam rips 'humour-averse ideologues' who got his musical canceled after he endorsed Dave Chappelle's 'The Closer'



Actor and director Terry Gilliam — who gained fame as part of the Monty Python comedy troupe then later as a director and filmmaker — blasted The Old Vic theatre in London and some of its staff after his production of Stephen Sondheim's musical "Into The Woods" was canceled, Yahoo Entertainment reported.

What happened?

Gilliam, 81, was to co-direct the show next year at the historic venue, the outlet said. But last month, The Old Vic said it was canceling the production amid reports that some staffers were unhappy about "controversial remarks" Gilliam made, Yahoo Entertainment noted.

And Gilliam took aim at those responsible on his Facebook page Monday:

Gilliam wrote: "It is very sad that a great cultural institution like The Old Vic allowed itself to be intimidated into cancelling our production of Into The Woods by a small group of closed-minded, humour-averse ideologues on their staff who, absurdly, call themselves 'The Old Vic 12' ... as if they are the victims of some cruel injustice desperately fighting for their freedom!"

He added: "My unspeakable crime was recommending my Facebook followers to watch a Netflix special by a brilliant and provocative American comedian, and then share with me their opinions. They did and civilisation did not collapse! However, The Old Vic's artistic credibility certainly has."

Gilliam concluded by saying, "Freedom of Speech is often attacked, but I never imagined that Freedom of Recommendation would be under threat as well."

Who's the comedian Gilliam recommended?

Yahoo Entertainment said Gilliam recommended to his nearly half a million Facebook followers that they watch comedian Dave Chappelle's controversial Netflix show "The Closer."

As readers of TheBlaze know, Chappelle has been attacked as transphobic over the last few months over some jokes he told in his comedy special, and leftists far and wide have been savaging him and pushing for his cancellation ever since.

What did Gilliam say about Chappelle?

Gilliam in October went on Facebook to endorse Chappelle and "The Closer":

"I'm encouraging all of you to watch Dave Chappelle's new show, The Closer, on Netflix," he wrote. "To me, he's the greatest standup comedian alive today: incredibly intelligent, socially aware, dangerously provocative, and gut-wrenchingly funny. There is a storm brewing over Netflix's support for the show. I'd love to hear your opinions."

Reactions were mixed with respect to both of Gilliam's Facebook posts — his recommendation of Chappelle and "The Closer" as well as his criticism of The Old Vic and some of its employees for his own show's cancellation.

Here's a sampling of reactions from the latter post:

  • "The Great Cancel Witch Hunts of the 2020s, as they may be remembered, will recede into history, just as did the McCarthyism of 1950s America," one commenter wrote. "Freely-discussed ideas, opinions, and unfettered creativity are essential to a healthy society. Love your films Terry Gilliam!"
  • "Terry I have the utmost respect for you and your work, if someone can't take a joke then they are missing out," another commenter said.
  • "Terry, you are better than this. Chappelle is a great comedian, too, but he went after a whole community that really needs our support in that special, and you recommending it is just adding fuel to a fire that is already out of control," another commenter argued. "The Trans community needs our support and acceptance. They are just normal people, trying to live their lives in peace like everyone else. If we can stop promoting material that tears them down and encourages prejudice, that would be amazing."
  • "Thanks for reminding me that I needed to unfollow you," another commenter said.

Anything else?

Gilliam, in his post about The Old Vic cancellation, noted that his "Into the Woods" production "has found a beautiful and welcoming new home, the Theatre Royal in Bath. The show will open August 19, 2022."

Dave Chappelle's high school proceeds with naming ceremony in spite of controversy



The Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., announced in a statement that it will stand by its decision to name the school's theatre after comedian Dave Chappelle in spite of the controversy over his Netflix special "The Closer" that progressives have called anti-LGBT.

Chappelle's former high school originally postponed the naming ceremony due to threats of a potential walkout by students who were "uncomfortable" with his comedy. The protests from students came just weeks after the comedian pledged to donate $100,000 to the arts school, according to DailyMail.com.

"On April 22, 2022, we will celebrate one of our most distinguished alumni, Dave Chappelle, by naming our theatre in his honor. This theatre naming was the desire of one of our founders, Peggy Cooper Cafritz, who recognized Chappelle as an important thought leader of our time," said the school in an official statement.

The school intends to use the naming ceremony as a teaching moment in an attempt to create a space of "diverse viewpoints."

"Additionally, using Chappelle’s latest works as the impetus, we have expanded our Social Studies curriculum to include content related to political activism, civic engagement, arts activism, and the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality. Our objective is to uplift conversations around artistic freedom and artistic responsibility," the school said in its statement.

In an Instagram post on Saturday, Chappelle proposed a challenge in order to raise donations for the school, in which the person offering the highest donation could keep his name on the school's theatre or change it to honor Peggy Cooper Cafritz.

"Talk is cheap (Unless I do it). The Duke Ellington School is a glorious institution. Within those walls I found a context to exploit my creativity seriously. Duke Ellington, in large part, prepared me to undertake this noble and difficult profession," Chappelle said on Instagram Saturday.


Duke Ellington High School said it would not change the name of the theatre but would accept all donations made to the school, according to The Hill.

Dave Chappelle Canceled By Alma Mater Because Of Student Temper Tantrum

Chappelle's high school alma mater postponed a fundraising event with the comedian because students were 'uncomfortable' with his humor.

Dave Chappelle says movie companies, film festivals won't touch his 'Untitled' documentary due to 'The Closer' controversy. So he's screening it himself.



Comedian Dave Chappelle said movie companies and film festivals won't touch his new documentary — "Untitled" — about a series of outdoor Ohio shows Chappelle put together last summer at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, Rolling Stone reported.

The comedian said it's all due to continuing transgender anger over his Netflix special, "The Closer," in which he says "gender is real." The controversy has ignited protests and walkouts and calls for Chappelle's cancellation.

Therefore, Chappelle said he'll be screening his "Untitled" documentary himself: It will be shown next month in 10 cities, including New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Toronto.

What are the details?

Chappelle spoke about the issue during a performance he posted Monday on Instagram:

In summer 2020, when the whole world shut down, I was outside doing shows. My neighbor had a cornfield, and he let me throw shows there. And people came from all over the country; some people came from around the world to see those shows. The best comedians on earth came to my home and broke bread with me, and we lived our lives; we found a way to keep moving forward. I made a whole documentary about it. The first night of those shows was a piece that some of you might have seen; it was called "8:46," and it dealt with the death — the murder — of George Floyd. This film that I made was invited to every film festival in the United States, and some of those invitations I accepted. And when this controversy came out about "The Closer," they began disinviting me from these film festivals. And now, today, not a film company, not a movie studio, not a film festival — nobody will touch his film. Thank God for Ted Sarandos at Netflix; he's the only one that didn't cancel me yet.

Chappelle soon added that he "desperately" desires audiences to watch his documentary but "understands[s] why investors would be nervous, and since nobody will touch it, I'll tell you what I'll do."

With that Chappelle announced that he'll make it available for screening in 10 cities next month "and you can see what they're trying to obstruct you from seeing." The cities and dates are listed at the end of the Instagram video.

"And you can judge for yourself, but you cannot have this conversation and exclude my voice from it," he added. "That is only fair. You have to answer the question: 'Am I canceled or not?' Thank you very much."

Content warning: rough language

During the same Instagram video, the comedian also said he's "not bending to anybody's demands" but that he's "more than willing" to give the transgender community "an audience" — but it may not "summon" him.

Plus, Chappelle threw down three conditions.

"First of all, you cannot come if you have not watched my special from beginning to end," he said. "You must come to a place of my choosing and a time of my choosing. And thirdly, you must admit that Hannah Gadsby is not funny."

Gadsby is a comedian who lashed out at Netflix over "The Closer" controversy.

Anything else?

It turns out that amid all the flaming arrows directed at Chappelle of late, a transgender activist — Ashlee Marie Preston — who helped organize the Netflix walkout over "The Closer" reportedly has a history of tweets mocking and insulting Hispanics, Asians, and others.

"Real Time" host Bill Maher on Friday blasted the woke mob angry over Chappelle's special, asking, "Where does this insanity come from?"

And the person who arguably received the most attention during the Netflix walkout was a Chappelle supporter who humorously stood his ground and exercised his free speech despite protesters destroying his property and trying to intimidate him.

Associated Press, Variety falsely claim Dave Chappelle supporter screamed profanities, was aggressor at Netflix walkout — and both outlets issue retractions



If you spent any time perusing Thursday's story in TheBlaze about the Dave Chapelle supporter who hilariously succeeded in exercising his free speech in the face of hostile, left-wing Netflix protesters, you watched the video of the mob members destroying his sign, bumping him backward, and screaming profanities in his face.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @johnschreiber

The guy didn't lay a hand on anyone — and, in fact, he made his hands visible as he spread them wide in a preacher-like, profanity-free pronouncement: "I'm just here to say that jokes are funny, people! Dave Chappelle is a funny guy! I love Dave! I don't know why all the violence! I don't know why all the hate! I just love Dave Chappelle! Dave Chappelle! Wooo!"

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @johnschreiber

Here's the clip. Content warning: Profanity:

A couple of people with signs supporting #DaveChappelle try to interrupt a rally in support of a Team Trans employe… https://t.co/2uAVFQX411

— John Schreiber (@johnschreiber) 1634753954.0

Yet, the Associated Press got the idea that the Chappelle supporter was the one screaming profanities — and Variety managed to call him the aggressor.

What are the details?

Turns out the Chappelle supporter — Vito Gesualdi — is a comedian as well, which makes sense since given how humorously he handled the naked hostility all around him.

And Gesualdi posted a ton of tweets in the last couple of days detailing what happened to him as he subverted the Netflix walkout — and what the media did to him as well.

First up is what Variety tweeted out:

@Variety https://t.co/TXrhUoSMCE

— Jpsmith (@jpsmith412) 1634922809.0

The magazine got roundly torched for using a photo of Gesualdi with the mob in his face and adding that "counter protesters pushed against trans speakers."

Soon enough Variety walked it all back: "The photo attached to an earlier version of the above tweet did not accurately illustrate the reporting from our story. We apologize for any confusion."

"Well the damage has been done," one commenter wrote to Variety. "You slander a poor gentlemen who everyone saw was not the aggressor. You can't lie about what you wrote and stated."

The magazine left up the text of the original tweet but switched out the photo of Gesualdi.

In addition, the Associated Press made a false claim about Gesualdi, saying in a photo caption that he shouted profanities at the "peaceful" Netflix protesters:

"Comedian and videographer Vito Gesualdi screams profanities as he engages with peaceful protesters begging him to… https://t.co/3ArasC9jy4

— YOUTUBE.COM / VITO (@VitoGesualdi) 1634796620.0

Gesualdi added in a subsequent tweet that "those 'peaceful protesters' broke my s**t and tackled my buddy to the concrete. What a load of s**t." He also pointed out that the AP's false caption became "stock" and that the "lie is on dozens of news sites now. Any lawyers in the house? This is BS."

The only profanities being uttered at the moment — well, screamed — came courtesy of a protester banging a tambourine at Gesualdi and repeatedly ordering him to "repent motherf***er!"

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @johnschreiber

How the photographer in question — standing directly behind the "repent motherf***er" protester when the photo was taken — thought Gesualdi was the one cursing is anybody's guess.

But after some detective work — courtesy of writer Jesse Singal, who broke down the false caption using photographic facts based on the video of the incident — the AP changed its caption. However, Gesualdi was still displeased with how things were shaking out, quite understandably:

Worth noting that my co-host Dick Masterson is currently at the hospital getting a CT scan after having his head bo… https://t.co/OfOVH9gwDc

— YOUTUBE.COM / VITO (@VitoGesualdi) 1634855281.0

The last laugh?

It's fitting that Gesualdi very well may have elicited the last laugh (for now, at least) in the whole debacle. He took to Twitter on Friday to convince his adversaries that he's not a threat, and they can stop doxxing him at any time — and then hit 'em with the following sign off: "And to be clear: I love trans people! But my trans friends all have a sense of humor."

(H/T: Hot Air)

VIDEO: Enraged leftists try — and fail — to shut down hilarious free speech of Dave Chappelle supporter at Netflix walkout



When radical left-wing Netflix employees want to shut down the free speech of comedian Dave Chappelle over "transphobic comments" in his latest comedy special, what do you suppose those same leftist Netflix employees might do to a regular guy who shows up at their lions' den — er, staged walkout — to defend Chappelle?

You guessed it: The militants tried to intimidate the guy and shut down his free speech, too.

And they failed.

What happened?

As most folks know by now, certain Netflix workers are furious at their employer for streaming Chappelle's new special, "The Closer," in which the comedian declares, "Gender is a fact." In the last couple of weeks, a prominent Netflix showrunner quit in protest; the company suspended three employees — including a queer trans worker — for crashing an executive meeting focused on Chappelle; and Netflix fired the organizer of a planned walkout for leaking confidential data related to Chappelle's special.

Well, that walkout happened Wednesday in Los Angeles — but a lone outlier managed to steal every decibel of the protesters' thunder.

Carrying a "We Like Dave" sign and singing, "Dave's life matters!" the brave soul immediately attracted the attention of protesters, one of whom grabbed his sign and proceeded to crush it beneath his feet.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @johnschreiber

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @johnschreiber

"Why is he breaking my sign?" he asked, mockingly. "Don't I have free-speech rights?"

As he was left with only a bare pole, the protesters began declaring that the Chappelle supporter was armed and dangerous.

"He's got a weapon!" the man who destroyed his sign yelled, after which comrades dutifully repeated the claim. The smiling victim played along, too.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @johnschreiber

Then the Chappelle supporter turned around and faced down the hungry mob — a shorter member of which stood inches from him with arms stretched wide for some reason.

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @johnschreiber

Then he dropped his "weapon" and began hilariously exercising his freedom of speech upon them.

"I'm just here to say that jokes are funny, people!" the Chappelle supporter hollered at the mob. "Dave Chappelle is a funny guy! I love Dave! I don't know why all the violence! I don't know why all the hate! I just love Dave Chappelle! Dave Chappelle! Wooo!"

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @johnschreiber

Funnier still, as the Chappelle backer raised his volume, another tiny protester offered a profane John the Baptist send-up, banging a tambourine and repeatedly bellowing in the guy's face, "Repent, motherf***er!"

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @johnschreiber

But in the end, all the Chappelle supporter cared about was his missing equipment.

"They took my stick! My stick!" he yelled mockingly at the mob. "My sign! I need my poster board! It was $2.99! It was my money!"

Check it out. (Content warning: Language):

Following her arrest, Alyssa Milano calls on Netflix to yank Dave Chappelle's 'The Closer,' likens it to hate speech



Actress and activist Alyssa Milano says Netflix should yank Dave Chappelle's "The Closer" because the content of the comedy special — which she likens to hate speech — is inappropriate amid the current cancel culture climate.

Chappelle has been under fire for political and culturally charged remarks — such as "Gender is a fact" — since the special debuted in September.

Milano was arrested outside the White House on Tuesday while protesting and advocating for voting rights.

What are the details?

The 48-year-old liberal activist was on the streets of Washington, D.C., when a videographer approached her and asked her feelings about Chappelle's comedy special, Fox News reported Wednesday.

"I think there's no room for any hate speech right now in America," she insisted. "I think Netflix should pull the special, and Dave should actually sit down and have a conversation with people from the community so that they can tell him why they were hurt by it."

When asked if she believes cancel culture will benefit America in the long run, Milano said, "I think it's really important to hold people accountable."

Milano added that the arrest was "worth it" to preserve democracy and vowed to be present to testify before Congress on Thursday at the Equal Rights Amendment hearing.

"I was just arrested for demanding the Biden Administration and the Senate to use their mandate to protect voting rights," Milano tweeted Tuesday. "Stand with me and @peoplefor and tell the Senate and White House that voting rights shouldn't depend on where you live. #DontMuteOurVote."

I was just arrested for demanding the Biden Administration and the Senate to use their mandate to protect voting ri… https://t.co/tkc0xwLBAK

— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) 1634669167.0

What are the details?

Some viewers have called on Netflix to dump Chappelle and remove his specials, but Netflix co-CEO and chief creative officer Ted Sarandos previously said that the freedom 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."

Sarandos, however, appeared to backtrack on the remark earlier this week and said he "screwed up" in handling the ensuing controversy prompted by Chappelle's special.

"Obviously, I screwed up that internal communication," he said. "I did that, and I screwed it up in two ways. First and foremost, I should have led with a lot more humanity. Meaning, I had a group of employees who were definitely feeling pain and hurt from a decision we made. And I think that needs to be acknowledged up front before you get into the nuts and bolts of anything. I didn't do that. That was uncharacteristic for me, and it was moving fast and we were trying to answer some really specific questions that were floating."

He continued, "We landed with some things that were much more blanket and matter-of-fact that are not at all accurate.Of course storytelling has real impact in the real world. I reiterate that because it's why I work here, it's why we do what we do. That impact can be hugely positive, and it can be quite negative. So, I would have been better in that communication."

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 fires organizer of trans employee walkout over leak of confidential data related to Dave Chappelle's special



Netflix has fired an employee for allegedly leaking confidential data pertaining to Dave Chappelle's latest stand-up comedy special. The employee was also the organizer of an upcoming employee walkout to protest Chappelle's comedy special because of accusations of "homophobia" and "transphobia."

Netflix, which is notorious for keeping viewership data close to the vest, fired an employee for reportedly leaking metrics on Chappelle's latest comedy special to the media. The "commercially sensitive information" was purportedly shared with someone outside of Netflix, and was included in a recent Bloomberg article.

The Hollywood Reporter highlighted the internal information that Netflix would not want to be made public:

In the piece, Bloomberg reported that Netflix spent $24.1 million on 'The Closer' and $23.6 million on Chappelle's 2019 special, 'Sticks & Stones.' Those numbers were in comparison to the $3.9 million the streamer spent on Bo Burnham's 'Inside' and the $21.4 million Netflix spent on the hit show 'Squid Game.' According to the internal documents reviewed by Bloomberg, Chappelle's 'Sticks & Stones' special was measured as having an 'impact value' of $19.4 million, which meant that the special cost more than the value Netflix determined it generated.

Netflix released a statement on the termination of the unnamed employee said to have leaked confidential data related to Chappelle's special.

"We have let go an employee for sharing confidential, commercially sensitive information outside the company," a Netflix spokesperson said Friday. "We understand this employee may have been motivated by disappointment and hurt with Netflix, but maintaining a culture of trust and transparency is core to our company."

The fired employee is also a "leader of the trans employee resource group who was organizing the upcoming October 20th walkout," according to The Verge.

Hundreds of employees are expected to participate in the walkout to protest the streaming giant for continuing to air "The Closer" and comments made by Netflix co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos, who defended Chappelle.

The report from The Verge highlights that the fired Netflix employee is "black and currently pregnant," but does not reveal her identity "for fear of online harassment."

"All these white people are going around talking to the press and speaking publicly on Twitter and the only person who gets fired is the Black person who was quiet the entire time," the former employee allegedly told the outlet. "That's absurd, and just further shows that Black trans people are the ones being targeted in this conversation."

Meanwhile, Netflix suspended three employees this week for crashing the company's quarterly business review. The three employees, including one who identifies as trans and spoke out against Chappelle's special, have since been reinstated.

Damon Wayans says Dave Chappelle's highly controversial Netflix special 'freed the slaves,' knocks cancel culture: 'You're no longer free in this country'



Comedian Damon Wayans says that fellow funnyman Dave Chappelle "freed the slaves" with his recent stand-up special, "The Closer," TMZ reports.

What's 'The Closer?'

Chappelle, 48, has been at the center of a controversy surrounding the special after making jokes about transgenderism and other politically charged hot-button topics.

In response to the outcry, a Netflix executive said that despite hordes of critics calling for the special to be removed from the streaming giant's online library, the sanctity of "artistic freedom" must be preserved.

You can read more about the special here.

What are the details?

Wayans, 61, told TMZ on Monday that he thought Chappelle's Netflix special was nothing short of brilliant.

"I feel like Dave freed the slaves," the comedian and actor said. "Yeah, the comedians. We were slaves to PC culture and he just, you know — as an artist, he's van Gogh. He cut his ear off. He's trying to tell us it's OK."

He added, "I can't speak about the content of the show, but what I say is, there's a bigger conversation we need to have. Someone needs to look us in the eye and go, 'You're no longer free in this country. You're not free to say what you want. You say what we want you to say. Otherwise, we will cancel you.' That's the discussion we should have."

When asked if he feels if he now feels freer to "be a bit more risqué" with his own comedy, the longtime comedian said that he has "always" been free.

"I've always been free — but I just think he's saying, 'You know what? All that I have, I'm not afraid to lose it for the sake of creative freeness of speech,'" Wayans insisted. "You can't edit yourself. Comedians, we're like — Mercedes makes a great car, but you gotta crash a lot of them before they perfect it."

He concluded, "[Chappelle is] a unicorn. He's amazing. He's a van Gogh."

Earlier this week, Netflix co-CEO and chief creative officer Ted Sarandos defended Chappelle's work.

“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."

As social media users continue to battle over if the seasoned comedian should be cancelled or not the folks of TMZ… https://t.co/7wWAelZFK0

— NOIR ONLINE (@noironlineorg_) 1634076145.0