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While the new Netflix series Beef has been enjoying rave reviews from critics, some of that has been clouded by the recent controversy surrounding one of the stars of the series, David Choe. The cast and crew have broken their silence on the matter.
The controversy stemmed from some resurfaced comments made by Choe years ago. A couple of weeks back, two Twitter users, Meech (@MediumSizeMeech) and Aura Bogado (@aurabogado), posted videos from a 2014 podcast appearance where Choe talked about inappropriate “erection quest.” Telling a story about an old therapist he once had, Choe said, “I’m getting turned on just telling this story.” “I just take her hand and I put it on my dick. She just holds it there,” he says. One of the podcast's co-hosts, Asa Akira, asks if Rose’s hand was limp, but Choe clarified saying that she was “holding it on her own.”
He finished by saying, “The thrill of possibly going to jail, that’s what achieved the erection quest.” Akira does question him, saying, “Ew, you’re basically telling us that you’re a rapist now and that the only way to get your dick really hard is rape.” Choe replies with a simple, “Yeah,” and proceeds to answer questions from others on the show.
“What the fuck is wrong with you guys?” asked Akira. She would continue, “Who cares what she looks like? Dave is telling us he’s a rapist.” Choe then jokingly said, “A successful rapist.”
The cast and crew of Beef have released a statement regarding this controversy. They collectively called the story “undeniably hurtful and extremely disturbing” while also claiming that he has “put in the work to get the mental health support he needed.”
The statement continued, “The story David Choe fabricated nine years ago is undeniably hurtful and extremely disturbing. We do not condone this story in any way, and we understand why this has been so upsetting and triggering. We’re aware David has apologized in the past for making up this horrific story, and we’ve seen him put in the work to get the mental health support he needed over the last decade to better himself and learn from his mistakes.”
Beef has been a hit for Netflix — during the week of April 10-16, the series amassed over 70 million hours viewed. The series was created by Lee Sung Jin and starred Steven Yeun and Ali Wong as two strangers who almost get into an accident but then proceed to embark on a revenge tour of their own.
With the first season being such a smash hit, could we see a second? Speaking to Elle, creator Lee said, “Cards on the table. We did pitch this show as a limited anthology, so there is sort of a close-ended-ness to the story [of Danny and Amy].” He continued, “But, if given the opportunity, of course, I'd love to explore them further, because Danny and Amy, I love those characters. But yeah, by design, though, this a close-ended narrative.”
Should we get a second season, would David Choe be returning? His character, Isaac, gets arrested and that's the last we see of him. It could set itself up well as an easy way to write him out. Whatever happens, it'll be interesting to see what Lee and co. serve up next.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFPIMHBzGDs
Beef is streaming on Netflix now.
