Savion Washington/FilmMagic; Arturo Holmes/Getty Marc Maronis not mincing words when it comes to his feelings on Netflix showcasingDave Chappelle's comedy. "Fascism is good for business," Maron said during a recent sitdown on thePod Save Americapodcastwhen he and host Jon Lovett were discussing politics in comedy. "Like, Netflix will just co-opt anybody that can tick that algorithm. I used to do a joke about it, that Netflix can become 'Reich-flix' very quickly. And I think the pivotal moment was when they had pushback from the trans community about Chappelle, they realized after several days that that community was not going to affect their bottom line at all, and they cut 'em loose. That is how fascism works in business." Chapelle first received criticism for his anti-trans jokes in his 2021 Netflix comedy special,The Closer.In the wake of the special's release, Netflix found itself at the center of a controversy whenthree of its staffers were suspendedafter they made negative comments about the special and the company on social media. At the time, Netflix stated thatthe suspensions were unrelated to the remarks,and eventuallyreinstated the employees. Netflix staffers alsostaged a walkout in protestof the special being given a platform on the service. In the days following the hubbub, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos defended Chappelle's special in a memo to staff. "Several of you have also asked where we draw the line on hate. We don't allow titles at Netflix that are designed to incite hate or violence, and we don't believeThe Closercrosses that line," he said. He added, "particularly in stand-up comedy, artistic freedom is obviously a very different standard of speech than we allow internally as the goals are different: entertaining people versus maintaining a respectful, productive workplace." Following the controversy, Chapelle said he was"listening" and open to a dialogue. However, he later doubled down on his rhetoric in his 2023 special,The Dreamer. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty During their conversation onPod Save America, Lovett pointed out to Maron that Netflix would argue the company is a "home for everybody" with plenty of diverse content, to which Maron responded, "Sure, but ultimately, who's getting the big deals? Which shows stay on the air? What do they keep repeating? It's the bigger audience. That's them saying, 'We've got this other stuff, we know there's a few of you, but we're throwing you a bone, so shut up.' But the big money's on the ones that you're talking about that titillate in a certain way that is not always right-minded." Entertainment Weeklyhas reached out to reps for Chappelle and Netflix for comment. Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free daily newsletterto get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Elsewhere on the podcast, Maron and Lovett discuss, per the synopsis, "why the left always has to be such a buzzkill, whether Americans voted for Trump purely out of annoyance, and why the armies of online trolls love to do the president's bidding." Listen to the full episode ofPod Save Americawith Marc Maron above. Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
