Dave Chappelle sledges Hannah Gadsby in defiant response to Netflix blow-up

Comedian Dave Chappelle has refused to apologise for his Netflix special and even hit out an Australian comedian in the process.

Controversial comedian Dave Chappelle will not be apologising to anyone, posting a characteristically defiant video in which he addressed the furore surrounding his Netflix special, The Closer.

Chappelle has been accused of making offensive comments towards the trans and LGBTQI communities in The Closer, which has led to internal ructions within Netflix, resulting in an employee walkout.

Chappelle and Netflix have also been criticised by external activists, organisations and viewers.

Among those is Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby whose critically acclaimed special Nanette was widely lauded for the honest and raw way it dealt with homophobia, mental health and autism. Gadsby won an Emmy and a Peabody award for Nanette.

In response, the embattled Chappelle has reserved an especially vicious mention for Gadsby, listing as one of his three conditions to meet with members of the trans community that they must “admit Hannah Gadsby is not funny”.

Dave Chappelle has remained characteristically defiant. Picture: Stacy Revere/Getty Images

The other two conditions were that they must watch The Closer in its entirety and that he will choose the time and place.

Chappelle disputed claims by trans Netflix employees that he had turned down an invitation to meet with them.

He said in the video: “That is not true. If they had invited me, I would have accepted.

“Although I am confused about what we would be speaking about. I said what I said, and boy, I heard what you said. My god, how could I not? You said you want a safe working environment at Netflix. It seems like I’m the only one who can’t go to the office anymore.

“I’m more than willing to give you an audience, but you will not summon me. I am not bending to anybody’s demands.”

The video was clipped from a live Chappelle performance. He also said that he doesn’t blame the LGBTQI community and that the issue had been wrongly “framed” as “me versus that community”.

He added: “This has nothing to do with them and this is about corporate interests and what I can say and what I can’t say.”

Chappelle said he didn’t understand what the “nonsense” was all about, and he claimed that everyone “he knows” from that community has been supportive of him.

Hannah Gadsby is an award-winning Australian comedian.

Chappelle and Netflix have been met with furious opposition since the release of The Closer earlier this month, particular from within its own ranks. Trans Netflix engineer Terra Field publicly criticised her own company for airing Chappelle’s special, for which he was paid $US24.1 million ($A32 million).

Netflix co-chief executive Ted Sarandos escalated the crisis when he defended Chappelle on several occasions in internal memos which were leaked to the media.

Mr Sarandos evoked Gadsby in one of his missives, which is what prompted the Australian to hit out at the company, which she called an “amoral algorithmic cult”.

Mr Sarandos attempted to ameliorate the anger on the eve of the employee walkout last week by conceding that he hadn’t communicated his position well and acknowledging that his employees are pained by what happened.

But he continued to defend Chapelle’s work under the guise of artistic and free expression.