Beef cast Ali Wong, Steven Yeun release statement on David Choe controversy

The creators and lead stars of television series Beef have finally come out with an official statement regarding the recurring David Choe controversy. Choe made some unsavoury comments on 'rape' supplemented by an allegedly made-up story, first heard on the actor's podcast nine years ago. With the success of Beef, Choe's words and actions have understandably been brought back under the limelight. Show creator Lee Sung Jin and leads Ali Wong and Steven Yeun have officially commented on the issue by releasing a statement.

Team Beef breaks their silence on David Choe's rape comments

In a collective statement, creator Lee Sung Jin and actors Ali Wong and Steven Yeun, addressed the pressing issue at hand. Calling David Choe's allegedly false story "undeniably hurtful and extremely disturbing", the trio shared that they absolutely understood why the statements made by Choe were still so jarring. Citing active steps taken by Choe to reverse the harm he had caused, the statement mentioned how the trio, in their personal capacity, could attest to the work put in by him to get the help he needs.

Though the statement was inconclusive in terms of what the creators and cast wanted to do about the resurfaced controversy at hand, the official statement at the very least affirmed the feelings of those offended by Choe's past words. The official statement read, "The story David Choe fabricated nine years ago is undeniably hurtful and extremely disturbing. We do not condone this story in any way, and we understand why this has been so upsetting and triggering," they said. “We're aware David has apologised in the past for making up this horrific story, and we've seen him put in the work to get the mental health support he needed over the last decade to better himself and learn from his mistakes,” they added.

What is the David Choe controversy all about?

David Choe's controversy involves statements made by the actor, dating back nine years, on his now inoperative podcast DVDASA. The actor had narrated a story, later revealed by him to be :made-up" and shared simply for "shock value",  involving a masseuse he forced into non-consensual sexual relations. His apology at the time gave the explanation that he is an artist and that he viewed his podcast "as a complete extension of (my) art". 

Beef premiered on Netflix in April of this year to rave reviews. The show stars Ali Wong and Steven Yeun among others with David Choe in a supporting role. The primary theme for the show is road rage.