Hannah Gadsby Is Returning To Netflix Less Than A Year After Slamming Them For Dave Chappelle’s ‘The Closer’

Less than a year ago, it seemed like Hannah Gadsby and Netflix were no longer on sturdy ground. The comic, whose stand-up regularly deals with queer issues, was none-too-pleased that Ted Sarandos, the streamer’s co-CEO, was using her as an example of the diversity available on their coffers, in an attempt to shield them from the hot mess over all the trans jokes in Dave Chappelle’s special The Closer. She even called him out by name in a furious Instagram post. But apparently they patched things up because Gadsby announced a third Netflix special is en route.

The latest special is called Body of Work, and it’s set to be taped next year at the Sydney Opera House. But there’s more: She will also oversee another special featuring multiple “gender-diverse comedians.” Netflix previously hosted 2018’s Nanette and 2020’s Douglas.

So what happened? In a statement, Gadsby didn’t directly address how she patched things up with Sarandos and team, but she did imply that she did get them to agree to correct some wrongs by making the streamer’s comedy wing even more diverse.

“In an effort to further open a door that I had to fight to get through myself, I will curate and host a lineup show on Netflix featuring six new, gender-diverse comedians,” Gadsby wrote. She continued:

“In a notoriously transphobic industry, I am looking to broaden the scope of opportunities for genderqueer performers from around the globe, as well as expand the diversity of offerings to audiences on one of comedy’s biggest platforms. Coupled with a mentorship initiative for these up-and-coming comics, the program aims to foster the professional development of a demographic that is still struggling to have their voices heard. Recorded in a single run in the U.K. in 2023, this will be a chance for the world to hear these voices for the first, but definitely not the last, time.”

Last October, when The Closer was been raked over the coals for all its trans jokes, Gadsby was singing quite a different tune. “Hey Ted Sarandos. Just a quick note to let you know that I would prefer if you didn’t drag my name into your mess. Now I have to deal with even more of the hate and anger that Dave Chappelle’s fans like to unleash on me every time Dave gets 20 million dollars to process his emotionally stunted partial word view,” she wrote on social media. She went on:

“You didn’t pay me nearly enough to deal with the real world consequences of the hate speech dog whistling you refuse to acknowledge, Ted. F*ck you and your amoral algorithm cult… I do shits with more back bone than you. That’s just a joke! I definitely didn’t cross a line because there isn’t one.”

When news of the new Gadsby Netflix specials broke, some didn’t forget her outrage this time last year. One person wrote, “.@Hannahgadsby literally said ‘f*ck you’ to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos during the Chappelle backlash and is now back in business with the streamer for their next stand-up special — as well as one focused on ‘gender-diverse comedians.’”

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)