Netflix has announced that it is collaborating with Dave Chappelle, the American comedian, to produce a new series of four comedy specials titled Chappelle’s Home Team. The specials will feature four different comedians. Chappelle, who is the show’s executive producer, has hand-picked the comedians himself.
The upcoming comedy special shows the continuing partnership between Dave Chappelle and Netflix, despite the controversy surrounding the former’s comedy special Closer in October last year. The stand-up comedian drew substantial criticism from both Netflix employees and several others for making transphobic and homophobic jokes in the Netflix special.
The first special in the upcoming series is titled Earthquake: Legendary and will premiere on February 28. It features comedian Nathaniel Martin Stroman whose stage name is Earthquake. According to Variety, the comedian will discuss health, prostate exams, and disciplining kids in his segment.
The second comedy special will feature Donnell Rawlings. However, a release date is yet to be announced.
Netflix is yet to give out more information on the other two specials.
While Dave Chappelle will not be performing in the series, he will be introducing the comics before the beginning of the show. According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, all the stand-up comedians are veterans who have almost 30 years of experience in the field.
Speaking about the upcoming series, Dave Chappelle said, “I’ve been doing this a long time and comedians like Quake and Donnell are not only friends but have inspired my own career. 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.”
Chappelle’s Home Team is directed by Stan Lathan. Apart from Chappelle, the series has been executively produced by Rikki Hughes, Earthquake, Jermaine Smith, and Stan Lathan.
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Despite the backlash surrounding Closer, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos defended the streaming platform’s association with the controversial comic. While he eventually admitted that he “screwed up” in the way Netflix treated its employees and handled the backlash, he noted that the show will continue to stream on his platform.
Netflix has also been firm on continuing to work with Chappelle and he is scheduled to appear in the streaming giant’s comedy festival Netflix is a Joke on April 28.