Nearly a year after the dispute surrounding Dave Chappelle’s special “The Closer,” Hannah Gadsby is going back into business with Netflix. The Emmy- and Peabody-decorated comedian has joined forces with the entertainment giant for a multi-title comedy deal, Netflix announced in a press release. The collaboration will include a new hour-long special of Gadsby’s “Body of Work” tour as well as a multi-comic special produced and hosted by the comedian showcasing an international cast of gender-diverse performers.
According to the press release, inclusion is the key objective of this partnership, which will enable Gadsby to facilitate and enrich the careers of burgeoning genderqueer performers working in a “notoriously transphobic industry,” one they had to fight fiercely to enter. “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,” the Tasmanian comic announced. “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.”
The multi-comic special will be recorded in a single run in the UK, starting next year. “This will be a chance for the world to hear these voices for the first, but definitely not the last, time,” Gadsby teased.
Last October, the “Nanette” comedian lambasted Netflix’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos for defending Chappelle when he wrote in a staff memo that the transphobic punchlines in the special “[don’t] directly translate to real-world harm.” After Sarandos name-checked Gadsby and Chappelle — in the same sentence — as key players “increasing diversity on the content team,” Gadsby took to Instagram to counterstrike against the memo.
“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,” they responded. “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 world view.” They continued, “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. Fuck you and your amoral algorithm cult.”
Despite the public disagreement with Sarandos as well as the comedian’s misgivings about the streamer’s allegiances, Gadsby appears to be leveraging the Netflix collaboration with the goal of carving out a space for genderqueer voices in entertainment.
Gadsby will return to the Sydney Opera House later this week, where they filmed the critically acclaimed 2018 comedy sensation “Nanette,” to record “Body of Work,” their solo special set to premiere in 2023. “Nanette” was followed in 2020 by “Douglass,” which was nominated for two Emmys and won an AACTA Award.
