Photo: YouTube
Comedian Dave Chappelle had a strange request for his fans. Don’t stream his show. “I’m begging you. If you ever liked me,” he said in a video of a stand-up routine he shared on Tuesday. “Boycott Chappelle’s Show. Do not watch it unless they pay me.”
Chappelle was calling out the network Comedy Central, which first aired Chappelle’s Show from 2003 to 2006.
He said in the video the company licensed the show to Netflix and HBO Max without paying him or informing him about the deal.
Chappelle said Comedy Central was able to do so because as a young man he had been snared in an unfair contract, which allows the network to continue profiting from his show and prevents Chappelle from using its name.
Chappelle famously walked out on the show in 2005 before finishing the third season, forgoing what could’ve been a $50 million deal.
He had served as the series’ creator, executive producer and star. Comedy Central aired the three episodes for that season already recorded.
As he recounted on Instagram, when Chappelle found out Chappelle’s Show was going to be streamed on Netflix, he called the streaming service to express his misgivings.
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