Dave Chappelle returning to Netflix with new special on New Year's Eve
Dave Chappelle performs during a midnight pop-up show at Radio City Music Hall on October 16, 2022 in New York City.
LOS ANGELES - A new Dave Chappelle stand-up special is coming to Netflix on New Year's Eve, the streaming service announced on Wednesday.
A teaser for the special was released on social media which featured Chappelle's iconic "C" logo with Morgan Freeman's voice announcing "He's back, folks."
The upcoming special will arrive three years after his controversial last set "The Closer," and will be the seventh special Chappelle has released with Netflix.
When "The Closer" was released in Oct. 2021, it received backlash from those who called the comedian's jokes "transphobic."
Shortly after its release, hundreds of Netflix employees and their supporters staged a walkout after Chappelle reportedly ridiculed the LGBTQ+ community and repeatedly dismisses the concept of gender identity altogether.
Despite the controversy, Netflix stood behind Chappelle claiming the special was never meant to cause harm.
In a memo sent out to Netflix employees by Co-CEO Ted Sarandos, which was obtained by Variety, Sarandos said that Netflix's goal is to "entertain the world, which means programming for a diversity of tastes."
"With ‘The Closer,’ we understand that the concern is not about offensive-to-some content but titles which could increase real world harm (such as further marginalizing already marginalized groups, hate, violence etc.) Last year, we heard similar concerns about 365 Days and violence against women. While some employees disagree, we have a strong belief that content on screen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm," Sarandos wrote.