Netflix reinstated a trans engineer and two other employees who were suspended for attending an executive quarterly meeting, which was only intended for senior executives at the company.
Terra Field, an employee of Netflix, joined the meeting after being one of several people to recently speak out against transphobic and anti-LGBTQ+ comments made in Dave Chappelle's newest Netflix comedy special The Closer. This led Field and the other employees who joined the meeting to be suspended. However, Field wrote on Twitter that "Netflix has reinstated me after finding that there was no ill-intent in my attending the QBR meeting."
Field also shared a screenshot of the email sent to her by Netflix confirming she had been "fully reinstated" as an employee at Netflix. The statement from Netflix, shared by Field, read, "Our investigation did not find that you joined the QBR meeting with any ill intent and that you genuinely didn't think there was anything wrong with seeking access to this meeting. Additionally, when a director shared the link it further supported that this was a meeting that you could attend."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a spokesperson from Netflix verified Field's tweet and confirmed that the other employees had been brought back from suspension as well, saying, "We will be distributing broader guidance about meetings and clarifying which are for which people."
Following Field's initial tweets about Chappelle's controversial comedy special, the engineer's suspension caused led to speculation that this was an act of retaliation from Netflix. "It is absolutely untrue to say that we have suspended any employees for tweeting about this show," a Netflix spokesperson said. "Our employees are encouraged to disagree openly and we support their right to do so."
Co-CEO of Netflix Ted Sarandos sent out a memo to Netflix staff last week defending Chappelle and the inclusion of his special on the platform. "Chappelle is one of the most popular stand-up comedians today, and we have a long-standing deal with him … As with our other talent, we work hard to support their creative freedom -- even though this means there will always be content on Netflix some people believe is harmful, like Cuties, 365 Days, 13 Reasons Why or My Unorthodox Life," Sarandos wrote in the Netflix memo.
Jaclyn Moore, executive producer and showrunner of Netflix's Dear White People, publicly cut ties with Netflix over Chappelle's transphobic and anti-LGBTQ+ comments in The Closer. "I will not work with them as long as they continue to put out and profit from blatantly and dangerously transphobic content," Moore said on Twitter. "Those words have real consequences. Consequences that every trans woman I know has dealt with. Bruises and panicked phone calls to friends. That's real."
Moore continued, "I love so many of the people I've worked with at Netflix. Brilliant people and executives who have been collaborative and fought for important art... But I've been thrown against walls because 'I'm not a 'real' woman.' I've had beer bottles thrown at me. So, [Netflix], I'm done."
Source: Twitter, via The Hollywood Reporter