Legendary Comedian Takes a Stand
Dave Chappelle is never one to shy away from speaking his mind and fighting for his creative rights and he has made headlines again for having Chappelle’s Show taken down by Netflix.
Chappelle has been very vocal about not being compensated with royalties for the streaming of his show in his recent appearances like on Saturday Night Live during his monologue.
In another newer performance titled Unforgiven, Chappelle gives an in-depth breakdown on his account of working with Comedy Central as an unknowing eager artist.
He stated that due to the nature of the contract he signed, Dave’s name and likeness for Chappelle’s Show are owned in perpetuity by Comedy Central and Viacom (Comedy Central’s Parent Company).
Chappelle Urges Fans to Boycott Show
When Chappelle’s Show first aired in 2003, Chappelle admitted he was not as savvy as he should have been in the negotiation of his contract with Comedy Central. On the Unforgiven special Dave retells the history of coming in unaware of the control that the network had on him during his tenure.
Chappelle takes accountability saying that what Comedy Central did was not illegal contractually speaking. However, he does sight that there was a lack of morality in their decision to withhold royalties despite his show being a massive success.
In the wake of Chappelle’s Show being removed from Netflix, Chappelle has been on record stating he has great respect for them due to their understanding of his position. In what can be considered an unprecedented move, Chapelle urged his fans to stop watching all streams of Chappelle’s Show until he receives proper compensation.
In Unforgiven, Chappelle emphasizes the importance of being paid his worth for something he placed so much of his energy into. In the same moment, however, he also stated that he feels like Comedy Central has essentially cheated him out of his money so he does not want them to benefit from his work.
Subscribe to dirtysouthhiphop.tv today!
Related
