Netflix Pulls ‘Chappelle’s Show’ Less Than a Month After Streaming Premiere

Looking to stream Chappelle’s Show? Well, you won’t find it on Netflix anymore. Less than a month after Chappelle’s Show first landed there, Dave Chappelle has requested the streaming platform to pull it down, Variety reports. The comedian shared the news on Instagram in a video titled “Unforgiven,” explaining during a stand-up set that he never got paid by ViacomCBS, which owns Chappelle’s Show, after they licensed the series.

“They [ViacomCBS] didn’t have to pay me because I signed the contract,” Chappelle says. “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 were streaming ‘Chappelle’s Show,’ I was furious,” he continues. “How could they not — how could they not know? So you know what I did? I called them 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.”

Chappelle, who has multiple stand-up specials with Netflix, goes on to praise the streamer, adding, “That’s why I fuck 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 fucking streaming that show you’re fencing stolen goods.”

As Deadline notes, “Companies that license a program pay the seller who, in turn, has to compensate the creatives on the show.” Netflix licensed Chappelle’s Show on a non-exclusive basis and began streaming all three seasons Nov. 1. While Chappelle’s Show was taken off of Netflix last night, it’s still available to stream on HBO Max, as well as Comedy Central and CBS All Access, which are both owned by ViacomCBS.

The comedian ended his video with a message to fans, directly asking them not to watch his hit series. “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,” he says. “I’m not asking you to boycott any network — boycott me. Boycott Chappelle’s Show. Do not watch it unless they pay me.”

His Instagram video comes not long after Chappelle addressed the licensing controversy on Saturday Night Live, which he hosted Nov. 7. During his monologue, the comedian reminded the audience that he still doesn’t make money off of Chappelle’s Show, but never hinted that Netflix would pull his series.