HBO Max to remove Chappelle’s Show from their service ‘at Dave Chappelle’s request’ 

Netflix already removed Dave Chappelle’s vintage comedy series from their platform in November.

And now HBO is set to follow suit, with the streamer announcing plans to remove Chappelle’s Show from HBO Max on December 31, 2020. 

Casey Bloys, chief content officer of HBO and HBO Max, revealed the decision during the keynote conversation on day one of Variety’s Virtual FYCFest. 

Wish granted: HBO is set to follow Netflix’s lead and remove Chappelle’s Show from HBO Max on December 31, 2020, per star Dave Chappelle’s [pictured in 2019] request

‘We had a conversation with Dave,’ Bloys revealed on Tuesday. 

‘I won’t get into it, but it’s very clear that it’s a very unique and specific and emotional issue he’s got,’ continued the TV executive, before announcing the December 31 takedown date. 

It comes after Chappelle recently asked Netflix to remove the same series from their platform.

During a stand-up special, which the 47-year-old shared on social media last month, the comedian explained why he was ‘furious’ to learn that it was being streamed, as well as his reasoning to have his most famous work pulled off the popular service.

Netflix obliged and Chappelle’s Show fans will no longer be able to stream the iconic sketch series – which originally ran on Comedy Central. 

Gone but not forgotten: Casey Bloys, chief content officer of HBO and HBO Max, revealed the decision during the keynote conversation on day one of Variety's Virtual FYCFest

Gone but not forgotten: Casey Bloys, chief content officer of HBO and HBO Max, revealed the decision during the keynote conversation on day one of Variety’s Virtual FYCFest

Say what? 'People think I made a lot of money from Chappelle's Show,' he said in the clip. 'When I left that show, I never got paid'

Say what? ‘People think I made a lot of money from Chappelle’s Show,’ he said in the clip. ‘When I left that show, I never got paid’

‘People think I made a lot of money from Chappelle’s Show,’ he said in the clip. ‘When I left that show, I never got paid. They didn’t have to pay me because I signed the contract. But is that right?’

In short, Dave explained that he has no rights to his eponymous series and that, due to the deal he signed at the time, it belongs to Comedy Central and Viacom.

Chappelle recalled how upset he was to learn that his famous sketch series was being streamed during a comedy special titled Unforgiven, which he posted to Instagram.

During the show, the actor reflected on the many times during his career, particularly when he was starting out, when he was ‘intimidated’ and taken advantage of by others in the industry. 

Iconic: Dave explained that he has no rights to his eponymous series and that, due to the deal he signed at the time, it belongs to Comedy Central and Viacom

Iconic: Dave explained that he has no rights to his eponymous series and that, due to the deal he signed at the time, it belongs to Comedy Central and Viacom

At the time, the ‘white people sitting at the table’, some of which he had hired to shepherd him through this process, advised him that it was a ‘good contract.’

It turns out that what he signed essentially cut him out of owning his own work, or as Dave put it, the network ‘stole’ it because ‘this f**king industry is a monster.’

‘This is why I like working for Netflix,’ he said. ‘I like working for Netflix because when all those bad things happened to me, that company didn’t even exist.

‘I called them and I told them that this makes me feel bad,’ he said while smoking a blunt. ‘Do you wanna know what they did? They agreed that they would take it off their platform just so I could feel better.’

The Half Baked star went on to heap praise on Netflix for doing the right thing, paying him, respecting him and going ‘above and beyond.’ 

He also shared that before originally going to Comedy Central, he pitched Chappelle’s Show to HBO and the executives callously asked him ‘what do we need you for?’

Ironically, when it was recently announced that the series would be streaming on Netflix, it was also being simultaneously released on HBO Max.

‘What DO you need me for?’ he asked rhetorically. 

Ice cold: He also shared that before originally going to Comedy Central, he pitched Chappelle's Show to HBO and the executives callously asked him 'what do we need you for?' Chappelle seen here back in January

Ice cold: He also shared that before originally going to Comedy Central, he pitched Chappelle’s Show to HBO and the executives callously asked him ‘what do we need you for?’ Chappelle seen here back in January