• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs

2

Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998

3

Economists have found an answer to slowing cognitive decline: Avoid retiring early, study finds

1

Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs

2

Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998

3

Economists have found an answer to slowing cognitive decline: Avoid retiring early, study finds
TechNetflix

Netflix workers stage walkout over transphobic jokes by Dave Chappelle

By Kylie Logan
October 20, 2021, 5:14 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Netflix employees and their supporters held a walkout on Wednesday to protest the streaming giant’s recently released show featuring comedian Dave Chappelle mocking transgender people.

The walkout, which drew dozens of protesters to the sidewalk in front of Netflix’s Los Angeles offices and an unknown number to its San Francisco area headquarters, adds to the firestorm Netflix has found itself in since premiering the show, The Closer, two weeks ago. Faced with an employee mini-uprising over the comedy special, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos initially defended it, saying it wouldn’t cause harm. But later, under pressure, he softened his stance in an interview with Variety, expressing regret over the language he had used while arguing that the show isn’t “hate speech” because it doesn’t call for “physical harm.” 

At the rally, participants chanted “Trans lives matter” and “What do we want? Accountability. When do we want it? Now!”

Terra Field, a Netflix software engineer, recently wrote in a blog post that the protest has a broader mission than just speaking out against Chappelle’s special. The Closer is just a “symptom,” Field said, of the entertainment industry and Netflix’s lack of commitment to telling the stories of marginalized communities respectfully, and a society that allows trans hate to exist.

Field, whom Netflix had previously suspended for speaking out during an internal meeting about The Closer, denied asking Netflix to remove Chappelle’s show.

A Netflix employee group, Trans* Employee Resource Group and its supporters, has published a list of demands aimed at Netflix. It asks for a fund that would invest in transgender creators; a hiring initiative that would recruit trans, nonbinary, and ethnically diverse leadership; and disclaimers on shows that feature transphobic or hateful content.

The rally garnered the support and participation, virtually, of media personalities and prominent activists like Jonathan Van Ness, Angelica Ross, and Kate Bornstein.

Meanwhile, counterprotesters also attended the rally in support of Chappelle, holding signs saying, “Free speech is a right” and “Truth is not transphobic.” They argue that the uproar over The Closer is intended to unfairly cancel Chappelle, a common refrain these days in the culture wars.

Ashlee Marie Preston, who helped organize today’s rally, called Stand-Up in Solidarity, responded to that sentiment by tweeting, “Dave Chappelle was not ‘canceled.’ He’s been invited to the table for transformative dialogue but won’t show up. That’s not ‘cancel culture,’ but an avoidance of accountability. He’s no victim. The man is worth $50M. Unlike many trans people his comedy stigmatizes—he’ll live.”

Chappelle is no stranger to controversy. Previously he has joked about the sexual abuse victims of producer R. Kelly, who was recently convicted of child sexual exploitation and kidnapping, among other offenses. In the recent Netflix special, Chappelle identified himself as “team TERF” —“trans-exclusionary radical feminist,” and also told a story about a lesbian while calling her a “man.”

In a statement today, Netflix said, “We value our trans colleagues and allies, and understand the deep hurt that’s been caused. We respect the decision of any employee who chooses to walk out, and recognize we have much more work to do both within Netflix and in our content.”

It was unclear how many employees participated in the walkout.

Days after The Closer debuted, several Netflix employees chimed in during a virtual meeting of high-ranking staff about their concerns with the show. While Field was suspended, B. Pagels-Minor, another employee, was fired a few days later, accused by Netflix of leaking internal data to the media. Pagels-Minor said that transgender employees at Netflix have been advocating for better representation in shows since the 2018 Netflix film Girl, which cast a cisgender actor, Victor Polster, in a transgender role. That movie, the employees complained, also featured scenes that focused heavily on genital areas and trans trauma. 

While traveling to the rally, Pagels-Minor voiced surprise at the support on social media for the walkout, with actors like Elliot Page tweeting in solidarity. Pagels-Minor said that Sarandos’s apology fell flat: “First, no one internally is trying to take down the special. Second, he alluded to the fact that Netflix employees don’t know how good they have it.” Pagels-Minor added, “He missed the point.”

More tech coverage from Fortune:

  • Just how massive Amazon has grown during the pandemic, in 8 charts
  • “Gone too far”: Meet the Dutch chips giant that Silicon Valley loves and Biden fears
  • Alibaba CEO defends $15.5 billion donation to China’s ‘common prosperity’ drive
  • Leak reveals how Netflix measures wins and losses. But is it relevant?
  • 4 key products just unveiled at Apple’s MacBook Pro event
Subscribe to Fortune Daily to get essential business stories straight to your inbox each morning.
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Chad Hurley and Steven Chen wearing suits
SuccessWealth
YouTube’s founders split over $650 million when they sold to Google in 2006—had they held out, they could have taken a slice of $550 billion
By Preston ForeJuly 3, 2026
5 hours ago
ds
CommentarySoftware
I argued with the father of open source for 2 years. Now the AI fight is the same — only bigger
By David SiegelJuly 3, 2026
7 hours ago
ashok
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
The greatest startup in history: What we can learn from America’s founders at today’s AI frontier
By Ashok N. SrivastavaJuly 3, 2026
7 hours ago
2
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
America’s secret weapon isn’t just innovation — It’s the freedom to fail
By Keith KrachJuly 3, 2026
9 hours ago
A $75 billion valuation, 75 million global customers and on its way to America—Revolut is London’s disruptor extraordinaire
EuropeLetter from London
A $75 billion valuation, 75 million global customers and on its way to America—Revolut is London’s disruptor extraordinaire
By Kamal AhmedJuly 3, 2026
9 hours ago
Man in a black hat and jacket
InvestingSpace Exploration
Elon Musk can’t sell a single SpaceX share for a year—and then all the locks crack open at once
By Amanda GerutJuly 3, 2026
9 hours ago

Most Popular

Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs
Law
Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs
By Wyatte Grantham-Philips and The Associated PressJuly 2, 2026
1 day ago
Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998
AI
Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 3, 2026
12 hours ago
Economists have found an answer to slowing cognitive decline: Avoid retiring early, study finds
Economy
Economists have found an answer to slowing cognitive decline: Avoid retiring early, study finds
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 2, 2026
1 day ago
On Wall Street, analysts increasingly don’t believe the U.S. government’s 'misleading' job numbers
Economy
On Wall Street, analysts increasingly don’t believe the U.S. government’s 'misleading' job numbers
By Jim EdwardsJuly 3, 2026
8 hours ago
Mark Zuckerberg feeds his cows macadamia nuts and beer to create the 'highest-quality beef in the world' on his $300 million estate in Hawaii
Success
Mark Zuckerberg feeds his cows macadamia nuts and beer to create the 'highest-quality beef in the world' on his $300 million estate in Hawaii
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 2, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of July 2, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 2, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 2, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.