The creator of Netflix’s acclaimed animated dark comedy BoJack Horseman, Raphael Bob-Waksberg took to Twitter this week to weigh in on the streamer’s controversial Dave Chappelle special The Closer, in which the comedian (once again) punches down at the LGBT+ community and transgender people in particular.
Still mystified that apparently Dave Chapelle’s deal is that he says whatever he wants and Netflix just has to air it, unedited. Is that normal, for comedians? Because Netflix once asked me to change a joke because they were worried it might upset David Fincher.
— Raphael Bob-Waksberg (@RaphaelBW) December 7, 2021
“Still mystified that apparently Dave Chapelle’s deal is that he says whatever he wants and Netflix just has to air it, unedited,” Bob-Waksberg tweeted Tuesday morning. “Is that normal for comedians? Because Netflix once asked me to change a joke because they were worried it might upset David Fincher.”
Fincher has created a number of hits for the streamer, including last year’s most-Oscar-nominated feature film Mank, drama series House of Cards and executive produces the Creative Arts Emmy and Annie Award-winning animated anthology Love, Death + Robots.
Bob-Waksberg later uncovered the scrapped joke, which turned out to be a full scene, and followed up by offering to share the never-aired material if at least 100 people donated to Trans Lifeline (https://translifeline.org/) — a grassroots hotline and microgrants non-profit offering direct emotional and financial support to trans in crisis.
“Netflix was right to note, it’s a dumb scene. My point was it’s silly for a network to pretend their hands are tied when it comes to the content they put on their network,” he clarified. The call to action met his goal in a matter of hours, with Bob-Waksberg noting, “I don’t know if this scene is worth it, but you gave over $2,000 to Trans Lifeline today and that’s definitely worth it.”
Yay! THANK YOU! I don’t know if this scene is worth it, but you gave over $2000 to Trans Lifeline today and that’s definitely worth it. pic.twitter.com/i6ztDYxP3C
— Raphael Bob-Waksberg (@RaphaelBW) December 8, 2021
Bob-Waksberg is a two-time Primetime Emmy-nominated writer and producer, creator of BoJack Horseman (Netflix) and Undone, with Kate Purdy (Amazon Studios), and executive producer of Lisa Hanawalt’s Tuca & Bertie, recently renewed for a third season on Adult Swim.
