Netflix has announced the line up for this star-studded inaugural comedy festival and Dave Chappelle is an opener despite the the controversy over his Netflix special “The Closer” that came out in October.
Chappelle open act is entitled “Dave Chappelle and Friends” and is set to take place at the Hollywood Bowl on the first fay of the festival, April 28. It is Dave Chappelle’s first L.A. comedy show since the release of “The Closer” which created controversy over transphobic remarks and jokes made during the special. The controversy around the special was followed by an employee walkout at Netflix and some employee’s being fired or having to leave their jobs.
The festival is entitled Netflix Is a Joke: The Festival celebrating the streaming platform’s comedy brand and will take place from April 28 to May 8 in 25 different L.A. venues. The line-up was announced on Monday and features more than 130 artists including David Letterman, Pete Davidson, Kevin Hart, Amy Schumer, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.
The festival includes appearances from comedy stars Ali Wong, Aziz Ansari, Bill Burr, Chelsea Handler, Chris Rock, Conan O’Brien, Hasan Minhaj, Iliza Shlesinger, Jerry Seinfeld, John Mulaney, Jonathan Van Ness, Dax Shepard, Kevin Smith, Maya Rudolph, Gretchen Lieberum, Mike Birbiglia, Mike Myers, David O. Russell, Nick Kroll, Patton Oswalt, Ray Romano, and more.
In a statement from Netflix’s director of standup and comedy format, Robbie Praw said that:
“It’s absolutely thrilling for Netflix to be hosting a comedy festival of this magnitude in Los Angeles, we were so disappointed to postpone the event last spring and our line-up of comedians can’t wait to bring much needed laughs to audiences in LA and around the world on Netflix.”
Tickets for the festival go on sale Friday December 10th.
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