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Why does Dave Chappelle want people to 'boycott' him? Comedian asks Netflix to remove show from platform

Chappelle has urged to boycott himself over non-payment issues with ViacomCBS, who liscenced to air show on Netflix without paying him and without his permission

When the world's best comedians get enraged and tell to “boycott” them, one ought to know what turned their funny side off. Comedian, actor, writer and producer Dave Chappelle has urged Netflix to take down his comedy sketch series ‘Chappelle’s Show’ and the streaming site acted and removed the show on request as revealed on Tuesday, November 24.

The removal of the show came after the comedian exposed ViacomCBS licensed his comedy “Chappelle’s Show” to run on Netflix without his permission. The Emmy award winning comedian’s show began streaming on Netflix in the United States on November 1, owned by ViacomCBS. This show is still available on the ViacomCBS' Comedy Central and CBS All Access outlets and was also recently licensed by HBO Max despite the allegations that Chappelle was not paid by ViacomCBS for his work. For the unversed, companies who license to run a program pay the seller who, in turn, has to compensate the creatives on the show.

Now Chappelle’s mentioned ViacomCBS’s unjustified actions in a long Instagram video he posted on November 24. The video captioned “Unforgiven” mentions that the comedian had asked Netflix, where he has a deal for standup specials, to take down ‘Chappelle’s Show’, and the streaming site honored Chappelle’s request. It removed the show overnight that earlier started streaming on Netflix in the United States from November 1. Chappelle said in the video how he liked Netflix and exposed ViacomCBS’ actions over payment issues. “People think I made a lot of money from Chappelle’s Show,” Chappelle mentions in the video, filmed during a recent standup set.

“When I left that show I never got paid. They (ViacomCBS) 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. That’s why I like working for Netflix. I like working for Netflix because when all those bad things happened to me, that company didn’t even exist. And when I found out they(Netflix) were streaming ‘Chappelle’s Show’, I was furious. How could they not– how could they not know? So you know what I did? I called them(Netflix) and I told them that this makes me feel bad. 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 f*ck 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 f*cking streaming that show you’re fencing stolen goods.”

Chappelle made an appeal to fans and said, “So I’m not going to the agents, I’m coming to my real boss — I’m coming to you. I’m begging you — if you ever liked me, if you ever think there was anything worthwhile about me, I’m begging you, please don’t watch that show. I’m not asking you to boycott any network(ViacomCBS) — boycott me. Boycott ‘Chappelle’s Show’. Do not watch it unless they pay me.”

The 47-year-old comedian was the co-creator, executive producer, and star of ‘Chappelle’s Show’, which had a very successful run on channel Comedy Central from 2003-2006. Chappelle had left the show due to creative reasons, however, the show still runs in syndication on several television networks despite his walking away that made the comedian furious as he did not get his due worth.

Now as Chappelle has urged to boycott himself not Netflix as the site actually paid heed to his concerns, fans have taken to social media to pour in reactions. A user wrote, “I'll boycott Chappelle's Show to help Dave.” Another concurred, “Honor Dave Chappelle’s request until they pay him what he's owed!” A user wrote in favor of the comedian,“Get this trending to number 1, people. Viacom are robbing Dave Chappelle by allowing HBO Max to stream his show without paying him. It’s not right.”

A user wrote in his praise, “I’ve come to the realization that Dave Chappelle is my favorite celebrity walking this earth. It’s not limited to his comedic prowess, but his integrity, wisdom, and strength as a human being. Love you, Dave! #boycottchappelleshow #istandwithdave”. Another wrote, “It's always fucked up when contracts use fine print and confusing language to steal money from an artist, but it happens too often. Dave Chappelle's new "Unforgiven" special on Instagram is as honest as it gets. #BoycottChappelleShow.”