Dave Chappelle Has Netflix Pull 'Chappelle's Show,' Begs Fans To Boycott The Series

Did you have big Dave Chappelle-related plans this Thanksgiving? Were you looking forward to binge-watching all 28 episodes of the iconic sketch comedy series,Chappelle's Show over the five-day weekend? Were you counting the moments until you could relive that glorious early 2000s nostalgia, reveling in the beloved actor's impeccable wit and cynical humor? Well, readers, I come bearing bad news. Netflix recently removed the classic listing from its digital lineup, per the request of Dave Chappelle himself. Now, why exactly did the famed actor want his beloved show yanked from the streaming service? It turns out ViacomCBS, the show's original rights holder, licensed it without his permission, The Verge reported. Ouch. 

On Tuesday, the star took to Instagram with an 18-minute stand-up comedy video entitled "Unforgiven" where he explained, in true Dave Chappelle fashion, his reasoning behind the seemingly odd request. 

"People think I made a lot of money from Chappelle's Show," he says around 11 minutes into the video. "When I left that show, I never got paid. They 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 because I signed the contract. But is that right? I didn't think so either."

Chappelle, who has been in a multi-million dollar deal with Netflix since 2016, says he was "furious" when he learned that the platform was streaming his old show.

"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. That's why I f*** 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."

Although Chappelle's Show is currently available on a few other streaming platforms, including Comedy Central, CBS All Access, and HBO Max, the star urges fans to refrain from revisiting his old episodes, calling for a "boycott,"

"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 - boycott me. Boycott Chappelle's Show. Do not watch it unless they pay me."

So, readers, there you have it. If you like Dave Chappelle, don't watch his show, as counterintuitive as it sounds. His standup comedy? still fair game, though. 

For more internet nonsense, follow Carly on Instagram @HuntressThompson_ and on Twitter @TennesAnyone.