Dave Chappelle To Executive Produce New Comedy Specials For Netflix

Dave Chappelle is producing a series of comedy specials for Netflix . 

The comedian serves as an executive producer for the upcoming series titled “Chappelle’s Home Team,” the streaming service announced on Friday. 

The first special, “Earthquake: Legendary,” features the comedian Earthquake and premieres on Feb. 28. Donnell Rawlings will appear in the next one, for which a release date has not been announced, Deadline reported . The series will feature a total of four specials, according to the publication. 

“I’ve been doing this a long time and comedians like Quake and Donnell are not only friends but have inspired my own career,” Chappelle said in a statement to Deadline. “Anyone in the comedy community knows these names and knows their time to shine is long overdue. I am proud to be a part of this moment.” 

Chappelle was widely criticized for making a series of transphobic jokes in his latest Netflix special, “The Closer,” which premiered in October. 

The special received condemnation from LGBTQ advocates  and from Netflix employees who organized a walkout in protest days after it was released. 

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos came to Chappelle’s defense, telling the entire Netflix staff in an October memo that he didn’t believe the comedian’s words translated to “real-world harm.”

Sarandos later admitted that he “screwed up” his response to staff and that he “should have led with a lot more humanity.” 

But the Netflix executive indicated at the time that there were no plans to remove the special from the service. 

In light of the announcement about “Chappelle’s Home Team,” some people on Twitter mocked those who complained that criticism of “The Closer” was an example of “cancel culture.”