Dave Chappelle's agents say he is open to dialogue with Netflix's protesting employees

Stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle found himself embroiled in controversy as he came under fire for transphobic and homophobic remarks made in his latest comedy act The Closer. On October 20, hundreds of Netflix employees staged a walkout protesting the streamer’s defence of Chappelle’s stand-up special. Chappelle's reps have now said that the comedian is open to having a dialogue with Netflix employees.

Dave Chappelle reps say he is open to having conversations with Netflix employees

A representative of Dave Chappelle told People that he is open to dialogue with the streaming platform's employees who have protested against his show. The representative said, "Dave stands by his Art. Both sides of the street are talking and Dave is listening. At some point, when everyone is open, I'm sure our communities will come together."

However, Transgender activist Ashlee Marie Preston, who organized the employee walk-out and protest on Wednesday, claimed that Chappelle was invited to participate in a discussion but he did not show up. Preston wrote, "Transgender activist Ashlee Marie Preston, who organized the employee walk-out and protest Wednesday at Netflix, has claimed that Chappelle was invited to participate in a discussion over the harm his special has inflicted on the trans community."

In an interview with Variety, the streamer's co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos admitted that the company 'messed up' in internal communication reading the show. However, he defended the company's decision to not remove the show from their platform and stated that he doesn’t believe it falls into the category of 'hate speech.'

On his latest show, Dave Chappelle seemed to intentionally and jokingly call himself 'transphobic' multiple times, sharing how the term had got stuck with him over the years. He clarified that he never had a problem with the transgender community, but with white people. Among his other controversial mentions on the show was his discomfort at being 'tricked' into describing a transwoman as beautiful.  As per Hollywood Reporter, Chappelle performed on October 14 at a star-studded and sold-out show at L.A.’s iconic Hollywood Bowl and in response to a standing ovation said, "If this is what being cancelled is like, I love it."

Image: AP