Dave Chappelle has urged fans to boycott his hit comedy series.
Dave Chappelle
The 47-year-old stand-up star revealed during his 'Unforgiven' routine that he recently reached out to Netflix to have 'Chappelle's Show' - which ran from 2003 until 2006 - removed from the platform after Viacom CBS, which owns the rights to the programme, licensed it for streaming without his permission.
In a clip of his stand-up show shared to Instagram, Dave also called on his fans to boycott the show on HBO Max, which is still showing re-runs of 'Chappelle's Show'.
He shared: "I called my agent and said, ‘Is there anything I can do about this show?’ and he said, ‘Noooo.' Well, f*** you too, then. If you want something done right, I guess you have to do it yourself.
"So I’m not coming to my agents. I’m coming to my real boss, I’m coming to you. I’m begging you, if you ever liked me, if you ever think there was anything ever worthwhile about me, I’m begging you, please don’t watch that show. I’m not asking you to boycott any network, boycott me!"
Dave originally made the show for Comedy Central and he equated airing the series to "fencing stolen goods".
He said: "Boycott 'Chappelle’s Show'. Do not watch it, unless they pay me."
Dave also admitted he was in a "desperate" situation when he signed his original contract for the series.
He shared: "I signed a contract, and I signed the contract the way a 28-year-old expecting father that was broke signs a contract. I was desperate, I needed a way out and it wasn't good money, it wasn't good circumstances. 'But what else am I gonna do?' I said."
Dave actually walked away from the show in 2005 during production of its third season.
The comedy star took a trip to South Africa in the midst of shooting the series and never returned, later admitting he was unhappy with the direction the show had taken.
Speaking about his decision to head to Africa, he said: "I don't have the distractions of fame. It quiets the ego down. I'm interested in the kind of person I've got to become.
"I want to be well-rounded and the industry is a place of extremes. I want to be well-balanced."
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