HBO Max will remove ‘Chappelle’s Show’ to honor his request

Dave ChappelleThe entertainment industry’s flex is paying off – HBO Max says it will follow Netflix’s lead and stop streaming “Chappelle’s Show.”

Casey Bloys, HBO and HBO’s chief content officer Max, made the announcement Tuesday during a Q&A on Variety’s Virtual FYCFest and said the network spoke to Dave, and that conversation led to the decision to remove the show at the end of the year.

She said, “We had a conversation with Dave. I won’t go into it, but it’s very clear that it’s a very unique and specific and emotional problem that he has.” She added, “So at the end of the year, December 31, we’re going to honor his request and shut down the show.”

It wasn’t until last month when Chappelle revealed in a stand-up segment that he was called Netflix honchos and told them about his displeasure with streaming his show.

Dave was pissed off saying he has no control over where the show airs, or any rights to any income from the broadcast … because it’s owned by Comedy Central and its parent company, Viacom. He admits that he signed a deal years ago – before its current success and power – that would allow Viacom to do whatever it wants, but he’s now asking … is that right?

In that same segment … Chappelle was telling a story about pitching his show for HBO years ago, and they basically laughed him out of the room.

Chappelle recalled, “They literally said, ‘What do we need you for? They told me that when they kicked me out of the office. What do we need you for? And here we are all these years later, streaming the show I was pitching for them. So I ask them: what do you need me for? ‘