Amidst the controversy stirred by Dave Chappelle‘s Netflix comedy special “The Closer,” insights have emerged into the internal turmoil it sparked among Netflix employees, according to the DailyBeast. In an exclusive clip from Vice TV’s Nine Lives Of docuseries, former Netflix staffer B. Pagels-Minor highlighted the distressing impact on their colleagues' mental well-being a week before the special's debut.

“I started getting messages from employees saying, ‘I’m in a really bad space mentally… I’m not sure why I work here. This has caused me to question everything,’” Pagels-Minor says.

According to Pagels-Minor, Netflix employees expressed emotional distress, with some questioning their employment due to the impending release of the controversial comedy special. However, the response from the company's senior team allegedly dismissed these concerns, attributing them to a lack of intelligence among employees.

The release of “The Closer” by Dave Chappelle in 2021 prompted a significant backlash within Netflix, culminating in a walkout by employees protesting the streaming giant's decision to continue showcasing the special, despite its anti-trans content. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos defended the company's stance, stating that content on screen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm, a viewpoint that further exacerbated tensions within the workforce.

Pagels-Minor was terminated from Netflix, accused of leaking information about the special, although they denied these allegations. Sarandos' responses to the controversy reportedly led trans employees and their supporters to organize the walkout, viewing the CEO's comments as dismissive and insensitive.

Despite the attention garnered by Chappelle's specials, Pagels-Minor revealed that, contrary to conventional belief, the controversial content did not yield exceptional performance metrics during their time at Netflix. They emphasized that these specials did not generate the expected return on investment compared to other less offensive and more cost-effective content.