Hannah Gadsby has signed a deal with Netflix to create more content with the streaming platform that previously produced her two comic specials, “Nanette” and “Douglas.”
With the new deal, Gadsby will produce a third stand-up special for the platform and will host a special featuring a diverse cast of comedians.
“In an effort to further open a door that I had to fight to get through myself, I will curate and host a line-up show on Netflix featuring six new, gender-diverse comedians,” Gadsby said in a statement published by Variety and other entertainment news outlets. “In a notoriously transphobic industry, I am looking to broaden the scope of opportunities for genderqueer performers from around the globe, as well as expand the diversity of offerings to audiences on one of comedy’s biggest platforms.”
The special, she continued, “aims to foster the professional development of a demographic that is still struggling to have their voices heard,” adding that “this will be a chance for the world to hear these voices for the first, but definitely not the last, time.”
News of the deal arrives a year after Gadsby publicly criticized Netflix following the release of Dave Chappelle’s special, “The Closer,” which featured jokes about transgender individuals. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos stood behind the platform’s decision to air the special, and referenced in a letter to staff Netflix’s commitment to diverse programing, including Gadsby’s first two specials.
Gadsby responded by telling Sarandos, “I would prefer if you did this drag my name into your mess,” adding that “You didn’t pay me nearly enough to deal with the real world consequences of the hate speech dog whistling you refuse to acknowledge,” a reference to Chappelle’s on-screen comments.
Although full details of the new deal are still pending, Variety reports that Gadsby’s one-hour stand-up special, which features material from her ongoing “Body of Work” tour, will air in 2023.
