Netflix fires employees for leaked costs from Chappelle's appearance

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Netflix ad for "The Closer" with Chappelle

Photo: ROBYN BECK / AFP

The streaming provider Netflix has announced a termination in connection with the dispute over comedian Dave Chappelle.

The or those concerned have passed on "confidential, commercially sensitive information outside the company," said Netflix.

"As we understand it, the employee could have been motivated by disappointment and injury from Netflix," it said.

But it is crucial for the company to maintain a "culture of trust and transparency".

According to the announcement, the information appeared in a report by the Bloomberg agency, according to which Netflix spent around 24.1 million US dollars on the special "The Closer".

The article also mentioned lower budgets for a 2019 Chappelle special, as well as other Netflix shows.

Chappelle had already caused outrage among LGBTQ representatives with transgender and homosexual jokes in 2019.

In "The Closer" more remarks of this kind followed. Activists accused Netflix of inciting hatred, which the corporate management rejects.

After public criticism, Netflix had already suspended a trans employee named Tara Field, but she was rehabilitated.

Parts of the Netflix workforce announced a work stoppage in protest next week.

"Our leadership has shown us that they do not uphold the values ​​by which we are measured," quoted the Los Angeles Times from a post on a public company channel with the news service Slack.

dab / AP