Marc Maron claimed Netflix standing by Dave Chappelle shows 'fascism is good for business'
“WTF" podcast host Marc Maron attacked the streaming giant Netflix over its support for comedian Dave Chappelle despite his jokes about transgender people.
Comedian and "WTF" podcast host Marc Maron suggested Netflix’s decision to continue giving a platform to Dave Chappelle shows how "fascism" can be "good for business."
While speaking to "Pod Save America" co-host Jon Lovett on Sunday, Maron criticized the streaming giant for allegedly giving in to fascism if the company believed that it would be profitable.
"Fascism is good for business. Netflix will just, you know, co-opt anybody that can take that algorithm. I used to do a joke about it — Netflix can become ‘Reichflix’ very quickly," Maron said.
He called Netflix’s continued support for Chappelle with multiple comedy specials, despite backlash from the transgender community, the "pivotal moment" for the platform.
"[W]hen they had pushback from the trans community about Chappelle, they realized after several days that that community was not going to affect their bottom line at all. And they cut ‘em loose. That is how fascism works in business," Maron said.
He dismissed claims that Netflix has promoted LGBTQ+ material in the past, arguing the company was only "throwing [them] a bone."
"But ultimately, who’s getting the big deals? Which shows stay on the air? You know, what do they keep repeating? That’s them saying, ‘We got this other stuff and we know there’s a few of you, but we’re throwing you a bone. So, shut up,’" Maron said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Netflix for comment.
Chappelle first came under fire after his 2021 Netflix special "The Closer" in which he said that "gender is a fact" and compared the transgender community to people who wear blackface. His comments prompted a Netflix employee walkout.
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Netflix continued to work with Chappelle, featuring him at its live comedy event 'Netflix Is a Joke: The Festival' in May 2022.
His latest Netflix comedy special, "The Dreamer," premiered in 2023. In that show, Chappelle continued making jokes about gender identity and "preferred pronouns," drawing criticism from progressive activists.
On "Pod Save America," Maron also criticized comedian Bill Maher — who has attacked "woke" Democrats — for coming across as "desperate" on his show.
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"I feel with Bill that there is this, and it happens with some of the other boomers, there's this desperate chasing of relevance that, you know, changes someone's mind in terms of how they approach what they do and also kind of makes the whole undertaking feel desperate," Maron said.
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