Netflix is teaming up with Dave Chappelle once again, but this time he’ll be highlighting some of his favorite comedians from around the country.
The series of four comedy specials will be entitled Chappelle’s Home Team, and will kick-off with a special from Washington comedian Earthquake on Feb. 28. Chappelle will serve as executive producer on the series, and introduce each of the veteran comedians, per Variety. Other producers attached to the series include Earthquake, Rikki Hughes, Jermaine Smith, and Stan Lathan, who also directs.
“I’ve been doing this a long time and comedians like Quake and Donnell are not only friends but have inspired my own career,” said Chappelle upon announcing the specials. “Anyone in the comedy community knows these names and knows their time to shine is long overdue. I am proud to be a part of this moment.” The second episode, which doesn’t currently have a date, will feature Donnell Rawlings.
Chappelle garnered much criticism for his last special with Netflix, The Closer. He dedicated a significant portion of the special to discussion on the LGBTQ+ community, specifically targeting trans individuals. "I’m team TERF. I agree, I agree man. Gender is a fact. You have to look at it from a woman’s perspective," he said in the special, although he later said "trans women aren't women" before immediately making comments that saw him contradict himself.
Elsewhere in the special, he acknowledged that he “shouldn’t speak on this,” despite doing so anyway. He also lamented “cancel culture,” and said people “more powerful than me” had been “canceled.”
Despite the controversy, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos defended Chappelle and said “content on screen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm.” There was a big fallout from the controversy, with many Netflix employees expressing their disapproval of the special’s content. It’s not the only controversy Chappelle has faced as of late, however. The comedian provoked negative reactions when he protested an Ohio town’s plans for affordable housing in the area.
“Dave Chappelle didn’t kill affordable housing. Concerned residents and a responding Village Council ‘killed’ a half-baked plan which never actually offered affordable housing,” a Chappelle rep told TMZ shortly after the clip of him at a town hall meeting circulated on Twitter.
