Netflix removes Chappelle Show at his request; Chappelle posts new standup bit about it

[CodeBlaMeVi]

Again, no one forced him to take the deal, NO ONE. He could said no, got more famous and tried again or just try to do something independent later on. Or he could of just shelved the idea and went on to do something else. The point is that you can not be forced or coerced into doing something you think is bad in a situation like this. If you take the hit then you take the hit but at least you are standing up for what you believed in. If you are going to get screwed royally in the deal then why even agree to it in the first place? An option he could of took was looking into joining SAG (or SAG-AFTRA now) to get help representing him while he went through the process, especially before shopping the show around.

This is the last time i will respond to this thread as it seems there are many people in here that are going off of their emotions and not logically thinking about this. Yes, Dave Chappelle is a great comic and one of the best ever and i am happy he is doing good with Netflix, but that does not free him from his choice to sign a bad contract. He is not the first and sadly given this day and age not the last to get the short end of the stick in a entertainment deal. This should be a lesson to those who want to get into Hollywood to think long term about their careers and how they could be impacted by decisions like this. Many people can learn from this to truly look at all of the avenues they can go down to get their dreams accomplished, without lasting conditions.

In the end, i am not saying Dave was stupid or idiotic for signing the contract, only that he did.

I can tell you didn’t watch it.

He had a lawyer when he signed that contract and was “advised” that it was a good deal. He compared it to an experience when he got swindled in the 3-card hustle. He learned that everyone around the table was in on it. So, he believes it may have been the case when he signed the deal then. All the attorneys and executives may have been friends and play golf on the weekends. I added the golf part.

 

[Family Man]

Stuff like this is why I believe there should be courses in school that teach kids how to thoroughly read contracts. I wanna see more artists use the reverse Uno card on these corporations.

I agree with you. A lot of the times though the issue isn't being able to read a contract. It's a problem of leverage.

 

[Redwing80]

Again, no one forced him to take the deal, NO ONE. He could said no, got more famous and tried again or just try to do something independent later on.

What planet do you live on? How was this possible for him to do in that time period?

 

[Tupac in a Business Suit]

It’s quite clear that a bit of you in here are not fans of Chappelle. Dave often says things without implicitly saying them. Here are my takeaways.

1: Never sign a deal when you are broke (see point 3).
2: Take precautions in vetting your representation.
3: Leverage is important, risk is leveraged on both sides of a deal (see point 1).

 

[King Poetic]

This always remind me of Master P and even RIP Nipsey talking about executives wanted them to sign shytty deals and they told them to Fuk themselves

 

[G.O.A.T Squad Spokesman]

I won't watch until they pay my nikka. Netflix seems like a good company.

 

[CodeBlaMeVi]

A question I will try to implement when I go into business with anyone is...

Would you let your child or loved one sign the exact same contract with me?

If we know it’s bull and they still try to jive then I’ll point out all the irregularities and follow up with the aforementioned question.

 

[Big Boss]

I agree with you. A lot of the times though the issue isn't being able to read a contract. It's a problem of leverage.

Basically the more leverage you have the more you can negotiate a better deal

 

[Family Man]

Basically the more leverage you have the more you can negotiate a better deal

Right. You can read the hell out of a contract but if you're approaching a muthaphucka with your hat in your hand your options are pretty much take it or leave it.
Chappelle has built his stature up since 2003 so he has more room to apply pressure.

 

[Tupac in a Business Suit]

It’s quite clear that a bit of you in here are not fans of Chappelle. Dave often says things without implicitly saying them. Here are my takeaways.

1: Never sign a deal when you are broke
2: Take precautions in vetting your representation.
3: Leverage is important, risk is leveraged on both sides of a deal.

Most importantly of all, expect hustle out of every man but only compassion from one that looks like you.

 

[Tess Lies]

I was actually watching the show the night before it was pulled. Glad it's gone since he's not getting paid.

I wonder if Bill Burr is getting any money from it


And it's easy to tell who in the audience is hearing him versus listening to him by the clapping.

 

[desjardins]

It's so weird there are plenty of black artist who have been ripped off by companies and spoke out about it and I don't see the coli worshipping them

yea i'm seeing alot of takes of ppl dikkeating netflix for doing this
completely ignoring all the people netflix ripped off or did dirty
this is only happening cause it's dave chappelle
people only care cause it's dave chappelle
the more i think about it i'm not even sure what the issue is, outside of normal shady business behavior. he signed a shytty deal on his first big break
people couldn't listen or watch most of their early favorites if they boycotted every instance that happened

 

[ThrobbingHood]

I can’t believe I’m seeing some birds on twitter comparing this Monique’s situation. Like wtf? They’re parroting Bs talking points like “why is it easier for a black man to get what he wants than a Black woman?”

My god, the shea Twitter birds really want to make everything a competition between us. As if Chappelle and Monique have the same clout.

 

[Treblemaka]

A couple of things:

- Dave said he was struggling, but bro had starred in several movies and had two stand up specials before the deal and was a nationally known stand up comic, and if he had been blackballed and couldn't tour then he wouldn't have been able to shop his show with multiple networks in the first place.

- He says as a 28 year old he didn't understand what "likeness in perpetuity" really meant, despite being one of the most potent, intelligent comics alive.

- Before he came up with Chappelle show he had been away from Hollywood for years and moved to a farm in Ohio he called the "fvck you Hollywood farm".

- He left his own fathers deathbed to take an entertainment meeting in LA, something he regrets to this day.


Now if he can leverage getting paid after signing a shxtty deal then more power to him, but he signed that deal chasing stardom that he didn't know at the time would make him unhappy. He was VERY familiar with the Hollywood machine when he signed the show deal. He had been fuked by Hollywood several times before and kept coming back.


Do we blame the abuser when the abused keeps coming back?

 

[R.E.N. Spells Ren]

I can tell you didn’t watch it.

He had a lawyer when he signed that contract and was “advised” that it was a good deal. He compared it to an experience when he got swindled in the 3-card hustle. He learned that everyone around the table was in on it. So, he believes it may have been the case when he signed the deal then. All the attorneys and executives may have been friends and play golf on the weekends. I added the golf part.

I don’t think Dave took it that far. That would be a hell of an accusation and grounds for disbarment. I think Dave was saying that even if his lawyer wasn’t friends with the execs and their lawyers, his lawyer was a part of the same system (i.e. the “friends”surrounding the 3 card monty cat) so his lawyer was just looking for a “fair” contract within the context of that system. The card friends weren’t helping the card player keep the money of those who guessed the right card, cuz that wouldn’t be fair, but creating an atmosphere of deception was considered fair and acceptable. His lawyer likely dutifully scrubbed the contract of language that harmed Dave that other acts of Dave’s stature could get execs to agree to, but never really explained to him the gravity of what he was signing in other aspects. Nearly 20 years later, and Dave is still dealing with the impacts of that signature.

As many have mentioned, leverage is key, and Dave at that time had little. So his lawyer couldn’t magically give him leverage, but maybe he could’ve limited how long he had to suffer the impacts? Or maybe not, I know next to nothing about the contracts drawn up in that industry

It’s quite clear that a bit of you in here are not fans of Chappelle. Dave often says things without implicitly saying them. Here are my takeaways.

1: Never sign a deal when you are broke
2: Take precautions in vetting your representation.
3: Leverage is important, risk is leveraged on both sides of a deal.

But you need the deal...cuz you’re broke.

What screwed Dave, is quitting his show when he did have the leverage. It’s like playing on a rookie deal and then getting that big contract once you’ve proven your worth. If you get injured before hitting free agency, you’re screwed. You may win 3 straight MVPs and 3 straight FMVPs in your first 3 years, but if you irreparably shred your knee on your final play then you’re never going to get that super max deal.

I’m curious, how do you guys think Dave would handle it differently if he could time travel back to the early 2000s knowing what he knows now? Not having that leverage, I’m not sure he gets a better deal. And if he stands on principle and walks away, his star may not get as bright to the point where can command $20 million per comedy special in 2016.

This message is a good cautionary tale for other up and coming artists as they’re more poised to build their brands outside of the major networks in ways that Dave could not in 2003.