Renowned comedian Jerry Seinfeld went on record saying the movie industry is “over.” This is all very curious timing considering that he’s currently promoting a movie.
The 69-year-old celebrity is still doing the standup circuit as he has been for close to five decades. He’s fresh off an appearance in the series finale of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” alongside his longtime friend and frequent collaborator, Larry David. In addition to comedy, Seinfeld has worked as an actor, writer, and producer.
Now for the first time ever, the Brooklyn native is taking a spot in the director’s chair with the debut of “Unfrosted,” a comedy about two rival cereal companies – Kellogg’s and Post – trying to outdo one another to create the perfect breakfast pastry.
<div id="attachment_729283" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-729283" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-729283" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/UNFROSTED-1-Picture1-864x576.jpg" alt="Jerry Seinfeld, James Marsden, Thomas Lennon, Adrian Martinez, Bobby Moynihan, Jack McBrayer. Unfrosted. Photo by John P. Johnson / Netflix - copyright 2024 Netflix, Inc. IMDB." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/UNFROSTED-1-Picture1-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/UNFROSTED-1-Picture1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/UNFROSTED-1-Picture1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/UNFROSTED-1-Picture1.jpg 1003w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />John P. Johnson / Netflix &#8211; copyright 2024 Netflix, Inc. IMDB.</div>
The stand-up legend spoke with <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/jerry-seinfeld-gq-hype">GQ</a> about making the leap into the movie business.
“It was totally new to me. I thought I had done some cool stuff, but it was nothing like the way these people work,” Seinfeld said of getting into the movie industry after so many years of being involved in other facets of the entertainment industry. “They’re so dead serious! They don’t have any idea that the movie business is over. They have no idea.”
“Film doesn’t occupy the pinnacle in the social, cultural hierarchy that it did for most of our lives,” he added. “When a movie came out, if it was good, we all went to see it. We all discussed it. We quoted lines and scenes we liked. Now we’re walking through a fire hose of water, just trying to see.”
When asked what has replaced films in pop culture, Seinfeld replied, “Depression? Malaise? I would say confusion. Disorientation replaced the movie business,” he answered. “Everyone I know in show business, every day, is going, ‘What’s going on? How do you do this? What are we supposed to do now?’”
<div id="attachment_729267" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-729267" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-729267" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2149561384-864x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK - APRIL 25: CBS Mornings Co-Hosts Gayle King, Tony Dokoupil, and Vladimir Duthiers interview Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Gaffigan on their upcoming film Unfrosted, Live on CBS Mornings.(Photo by Michele Crowe/CBS News via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2149561384-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2149561384-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2149561384-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2149561384.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Michele Crowe/CBS News via Getty Images</div>
“Unfrosted” is scheduled for a May 3 release on Netflix. The logline reads, “Michigan, 1963. Kellogg’s and Post, sworn cereal rivals, race to create a pastry that will change the face of breakfast forever. A tale of ambition, betrayal, sugar, and menacing milkmen, ‘Unfrosted’ stars writer-director Jerry Seinfeld.”
The cast includes plenty of other celebrities, including Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Amy Schumer, Max Greenfield, Christian Slater, Bill Burr, Daniel Levy, James Marsden, Jack McBrayer, Thomas Lennon, Bobby Moynihan, Adrian Martinez, Sarah Cooper, and Fred Armisen.
Seinfeld has been contemplating doing a Pop-Tart origin story film for years. In 2018, he <a href="https://twitter.com/JerrySeinfeld/status/1031969212359757826">shared</a> on X, “At one point I was thinking about an invention of the Pop-Tart movie. Imagine the drunk on sugar-power Kellogg’s cereal culture of the mid-60s in Battle Creek, MI. That’s a vibe I could work with.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
At one point I was thinking about an invention of the Pop Tart movie. Imagine the drunk on sugar-power Kellogg’s cereal culture of the mid-60’s in Battle Creek, MI. That’s a vibe I could work with.
&mdash; Jerry Seinfeld (@JerrySeinfeld) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerrySeinfeld/status/1031969212359757826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Plus, breakfast cereal is a topic he’s visited during his stand-up routines. GQ noted that one of Seinfeld’s earliest bits included the line, “Where in the world do you get your balls to call a breakfast cereal &#8216;LIFE?&#8217;”
The outlet also noted that Seinfeld and David were in a supermarket discussing breakfast cereal when they came up with the idea for the TV sitcom “Seinfeld,” arguably one of the most successful shows of all time. “[Cereal is] what we were discussing in that grocery store, when I said, ‘This is the show,’” Seinfeld said.
<div id="attachment_729263" style="width: 894px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-729263" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-729263" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-594891487-884x576.jpg" alt="STUDIO CITY, CA - APRIL 3: (NO U.S. TABLOID SALES) Co-creators Jerry Seinfeld (second from left) and Larry David laugh while talking with actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus (back facing the camera) on set of the hit television show &quot;Seinfeld&quot; during the last episodes, April 3, 1998 in Studio City, California. (Photo by David Hume Kennerly/ Getty Images)" width="884" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-594891487-884x576.jpg 884w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-594891487-300x195.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-594891487-768x500.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-594891487.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 884px) 100vw, 884px" />David Hume Kennerly/ Getty Images</div>
“Unfrosted” is an amalgamation of fact and fiction, with facts being presented alongside exaggerations for maximum comedic effect. When asked by Eater why he thought the invention of Pop-Tarts was funny enough to make a movie about, Seinfeld replied by saying it was just a gut feeling.
“I sometimes can’t explain why something is funny. But I just know that that is a funny thing,” he <a href="https://www.eater.com/24139655/jerry-seinfeld-pop-tart-movie-unfrosted-interview">told</a> the outlet. “It had to do with the name. It had to do with giving kids the power to make something with heat. Most kids when I was little never did anything like that — only adults handle things that had to do with heat — so it was an exciting new world to use a toaster. As a kid, you felt like you were cooking when you made Pop-Tarts.”
“I don’t think there’s anything as funny in the entire [1960s] — certainly in the food world — as the Pop-Tart,” the comedian continued. “It was such a surprise when it came out. It had nothing to do with anything else. There’s different cookies. There’s different candies. There’s nothing really that surprising in the candy world. But in the breakfast world, this was a total shock when they made this.”
He said even concocting the movie felt like a joke at first, until it became something real. Seinfeld compared the race to make a marketable breakfast pastry to the space race.
“[Writer] Andy Robin said, ‘It’s like The Right Stuff,’ with these two companies competing to get to the moon first — the Pop-Tart moon,” Seinfeld added.
&nbsp;
<div id="attachment_729287" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-729287" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-729287 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/UNFROSTED-4-Picture1-864x576.jpg" alt="Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, Fred Armisen and Melissa McCarthy in Unfrosted (2024)Photo by Courtesy of Netflix - copyright 2024 Netflix, Inc. IMDB." width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/UNFROSTED-4-Picture1-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/UNFROSTED-4-Picture1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/UNFROSTED-4-Picture1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/UNFROSTED-4-Picture1.jpg 1003w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />John P. Johnson / Courtesy of Netflix &#8211; copyright 2024 Netflix, Inc. IMDB.</div>
The longtime sitcom star said he took a similar approach to “Unfrosted” as he did to writing “Seinfeld” scripts, opting to always select whatever was “funniest” rather than going for historical accuracy. The Pop-Tart movie isn’t meant to be a documentary, but is rather a comedy filled with nuggets of truth.
While speaking with GQ, Seinfeld also said stand-up is still popular while other expressions of entertainment suffer because it’s real. He said in an era when people crave authenticity, comedy can still thrive because it’s too hard to fake.
“I’ve done enough stuff that I have my own thing, which is more valuable than it’s ever been,” the comedian told the outlet. “Stand-up is like you’re a cabinetmaker, and everybody needs a guy who’s good with wood. … There’s trees everywhere, but to make a nice table, it’s not so easy. So, the metaphor is that if you have good craft and craftsmanship, you’re kind of impervious to the whims of the industry.”
“Audiences are now flocking to stand-up because it’s something you can’t fake,” he added. “It’s like platform diving. You could say you’re a platform diver, but in two seconds we can see if you are or you aren’t. That’s what people like about stand-up. They can trust it. Everything else is fake.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Unfrosted | Official Trailer | Netflix" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2lqRPUhPfho?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

UNFROSTED 5 Picture1

Jerry Seinfeld Is Banking On Pop-Tarts Being Funny

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Comedian <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jerry-seinfeld">Jerry Seinfeld</a> said he believes the movie industry no longer has the cultural sway it once did.
The 69-year-old shared his thoughts during a newly published interview with <a href="https://www.gq.com/story/jerry-seinfeld-gq-hype">GQ</a>. Despite his feelings about the industry, Seinfeld is currently promoting his new Netflix <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/movies">film,</a> “Unfrosted,” about the rivalry between cereal brands Kellogg&#8217;s and Post. Seinfeld wrote and directed the comedy film and has a starring role.
“It was totally new to me. I thought I had done some cool stuff, but it was nothing like the way these people work,” Seinfeld said of getting into the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/hollywood">movie industry</a> after so many years of focusing on other entertainment endeavors. “They’re so dead serious! They don’t have any idea that the movie business is over. They have no idea.”
“Film doesn’t occupy the pinnacle in the social, cultural hierarchy that it did for most of our lives,” he continued. “When a movie came out, if it was good, we all went to see it. We all discussed it. We quoted lines and scenes we liked. Now we’re walking through a fire hose of water, just trying to see.”
The interviewer followed up by asking what has replaced movies in the culture. “Depression? Malaise? I would say confusion. Disorientation replaced the movie business,” he answered. “Everyone I know in show business, every day, is going, ‘What’s going on? How do you do this? What are we supposed to do now?&#8217;”
Seinfeld next compared the film industry to comedy.
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“I’ve done enough stuff that I have my own thing, which is more valuable than it’s ever been,” the comedian went on. “Stand-up is like you’re a cabinetmaker, and everybody needs a guy who’s good with wood. … There’s trees everywhere, but to make a nice table, it’s not so easy. So, the metaphor is that if you have good craft and craftsmanship, you’re kind of impervious to the whims of the industry.”
“Audiences are now flocking to stand-up because it’s something you can’t fake,” he added. “It’s like platform diving. You could say you’re a platform diver, but in two seconds we can see if you are or you aren’t. That’s what people like about stand-up. They can trust it. Everything else is fake.”
&#8220;Unfrosted&#8221; debuts on Netflix May 3.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Unfrosted | Official Trailer | Netflix" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2lqRPUhPfho?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Jerry Seinfeld Says ‘The Movie Business Is Over,’ Claims It’s Been Replaced By ‘Confusion’

Jerry Seinfeld Says 'The Movie Business Is Over,' Claims It's Been Replaced By 'Confusion'

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The studio behind Oscar-winning movies like “Green Book,” “Spotlight” and “An Inconvenient Truth” has gone the way of the fax machine and pager.
Netflix is also getting out of the auteur business. 
 
Harper’s Magazine declared it’s not a matter of if, <a href="https://harpers.org/archive/2024/05/the-life-and-death-of-hollywood-daniel-bessner/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">but when Hollywood ceases to exist</a>, at least in its current form.
Yes, Tinsel Town is in panic mode, and understandably so. And that doesn’t include the fallout from last year’s dueling strikes, the rise of AI and audiences rejecting some of the industry’s once-bulletproof franchises (“Indiana Jones,” “The Matrix,” “The Marvels”)
Let’s start with Participant, formed in 2004 by progressive eBay co-founder Jeff Skoll to create socially aware films. That mandate seemed like a recipe for failure, but the studio walked the line between message and merriment.
It earned plenty of critical love, too, but when a scare documentary on climate change grosses a gaudy $24 million stateside you’re doing something right.
Until now, apparently.
<div id="attachment_725697" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-725697" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-725697" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-823728704-864x576.jpg" alt="LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 27: (L-R) Former Vice President Al Gore, Moderator Maria Shriver and Producers Richard Berge and Jeff Skoll attend a special screening Q&amp;A of 'An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power' at The Cinerama Dome on July 27, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-823728704-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-823728704-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-823728704-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-823728704.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures</div>
Previous Participant projects like “Truth,” “RGB,” and “When They See Us” certainly had a liberal-leaning approach, and some genuinely impacted the culture. That Skoll opted to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/16/business/media/participant-jeff-skoll.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shutter the company</a> now says something.
Progressive stories will still be made, of course, but they lost a powerful ally in Participant.
Prestige filmmakers have struggled to get their visions made in the 21st century. Even a highly regarded filmmaker like John Sayles (“Matewan,” “Eight Men Out”) <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/global/lone-star-john-sayles-trump-wall-urination-matthew-mcconaughey-1235923660/">can no longer be guaranteed studio space</a> for future projects.
That allowed Netflix to gain a toehold in the cinematic space. The streaming giant gifted gargantuan budgets to filmmakers like Martin Scorsese (“The Irishman”) to make their movies, their way while Hollywood studios flinched.
The studio previously produced movies with the Coen brothers, Scorsese, Jane Campion, and more.
Not anymore.
<div id="attachment_725757" style="width: 876px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-725757" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-725757" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-1194804770-866x576.jpg" alt="(From L) US actor Ray Romano, Canadian-New Zealand actress Anna Pacquin and US actor Harvey Keitel present a clip of &quot;The Irishman&quot; during the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards show at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on January 19, 2020. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)" width="866" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-1194804770-866x576.jpg 866w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-1194804770-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-1194804770-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-1194804770.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px" />ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images</div>
Netflix announced it will focus more on populist original films and skip the auteur-driven projects of yore. Moving forward, the platform will focus on films that <a href="https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2024/4/15/aurora">gain more eyeballs</a>, like the “Knives Out” franchise.
That means celebrated filmmakers like David Lynch and Katherine Bigelow can’t crack the Netflix code.
Apple paid handsomely to fund Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” epic. Will they follow suit? &#8220;Napoleon&#8221; earned just $217 million worldwide compared to its reported $200 million budget. (Studios split revenue with movie theaters and must fork over additional costs for marketing, etc.)
The aforementioned Harper’s Magazine piece is littered with doom and gloom, along with the receipts to back it up:
<blockquote>The industry as a whole is now facing a broad contraction. Between August 2022 and the end of last year, employment fell by 26 percent—more than one job gone in every four. Layoffs hit Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, Paramount Global, Roku, and others in 2022. In 2023, firings swept through the representation giants United Talent Agency and Creative Artists Agency; Netflix, Paramount Global, and Roku again; plus Hulu, NBCUniversal, and Lionsgate. In early 2024, it was announced that Amazon was cutting hundreds of jobs from its Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios divisions. In February, Paramount Global laid off roughly eight hundred people. It’s unclear which streamers will survive. </blockquote>
Hollywood is still deathly afraid of how AI technology will impact its workforce. We’ve already seen stars lose out on voiceover work thanks to AI.
That could be the tip of a digital iceberg the likes of which Hollywood has never seen before.
Panic. And it’s understandable.
That explains reviving stone-cold dead franchises like “<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/blair-witch-project-original-team-reacts-reboot-movie-1235874500/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Blair Witch Project</a>” and the <a href="https://people.com/new-scary-movie-sequel-in-the-works-cinemacon-2024-8630189" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Scary Movie” series</a>. We’ll also see another live-action “<a href="https://screenrant.com/popeye-the-sailor-man-movie-live-action-development/#:~:text=A%20new%20live%2Daction%20Popeye,Robin%20Williams%20version%20in%201980." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Popeye</a>” film as well as a movie based on the board game “Monopoly.”
Can Hollywood be saved? Perhaps, but it won’t be by any of the above film projects.
It begins with innovation, acknowledging audience expectations, and producing less ideological content.
The assembled stars should be less dismissive of their dwindling fan bases, too. Liberal actor Nick Offerman of “Parks and Recreation” fame set that tone by telling the press his new movie “Civil War” would <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/civil-war-president-not-donald-trump/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lose audiences members if it chose a political side</a>.
That’s smart. What’s less than smart?
Actor Alan Ritchson teeing off on <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2024/04/15/reacher-star-alan-ritchson-faces-backlash-after-trump-comments/?sh=49e04e1c50c3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Donald Trump</a>, the <a href="https://bleedingcool.com/tv/reacher-alan-ritchson-calls-out-police-union-pushes-back-on-insults/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">police</a>, and Christians while “promoting” his latest project, “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.”
It might take real risk-taking, which is anathema to an industry known for playing it safe. Consider what Kevin Costner has in store for us later this year as the ultimate risk.
<div id="attachment_725721" style="width: 787px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-725721" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-725721" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2148073812-777x576.jpg" alt="LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 09: Kevin Costner speaks onstage during Warner Bros. Pictures' &quot;The Big Picture,&quot; a special presentation of its upcoming slate during CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, at Caesars Palace on April 09, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for CinemaCon)" width="777" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2148073812-777x576.jpg 777w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2148073812-300x222.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2148073812-768x569.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/04/GettyImages-2148073812.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 777px) 100vw, 777px" />Jerod Harris/Getty Images for CinemaCon</div>
His “Horizon” film saga is an old-fashioned western, at least on paper, that could span as many as four feature films. The first two installments will be released on June 28 and August 16, respectively.
The film legend broke the old Hollywood saw about <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/entertainment/yellowstone-star-kevin-costner-gambles-next-monster-hit-with-his-own-money" target="_blank" rel="noopener">using your own money</a> to invest in the series.
Will it pay off?
Costner <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/entertainment/kevin-costners-12-hour-horizon-binge-plan-pt-barnum-like-showmanship-big-winner-expert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">summed up</a> the all-American saga during his appearance at this month’s CinemaCon gathering:
<blockquote>When I think about the promise of America, there was a promise out here, if you could go. If you were tough enough, if you were mean enough, if you were resourceful enough, if you were lucky enough, you could take what you wanted in America.</blockquote>
 The same could be true of Hollywood moving forward. Or else.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@HollywoodInToto</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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Post-Strike Hollywood Goes Into Panic Mode (And Rightly So)

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A joke <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/twitter">tweet</a> about <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/netflix">Netflix</a> has gone viral as many users on the social media platform believed – and hoped – it was real.
User Soren Iverson issued clarification for his original post after it went viral over the weekend, racking up close to 25 million views by Monday.
“Netflix ‘skip the foreplay’ feature removes <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sex">naughty scenes</a> to make family movie night less awkward,” Iverson wrote in the original post caption. He included a fake image of the Netflix menu screen showing the “skip the foreplay” menu option associated with the popular period drama series, “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment">Bridgerton</a>.” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Netflix &quot;skip the foreplay&quot; feature removes naughty scenes to make family movie night less awkward <a href="https://t.co/NV6Aaj1OSI">pic.twitter.com/NV6Aaj1OSI</a>
&mdash; Soren Iverson (@soren_iverson) <a href="https://twitter.com/soren_iverson/status/1776988165288681652?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Make family movie night less awkward by deleting naughty scenes from this show,” the faux menu option says, with selection buttons indicating “No, it’s fine” or “Please do.” 
“Well this blew up,” Iverson wrote in a follow-up after the tweet started gaining traction. “I make unhinged stuff like this daily so if you lol’d at this (or breathed through the nose a lil at least), then pls DEMOLISH that follow button.”
Many commenters believed the feature was real, while others observed that “skip the foreplay” didn’t make much sense because that would technically mean going straight to graphic sex scenes.
“I would pay for this feature. No kidding,” one person <a href="https://twitter.com/TurbatoThonnas/status/1776989119593304372">replied</a>.
“That’s actually an amazing idea,” a second person <a href="https://twitter.com/AutismCapital/status/1777014880262144397">agreed</a>.
Another tweet <a href="https://twitter.com/barelyyalex/status/1777091417653072173">said</a>,  “You guys are so weak. Watching a surprise sex scene with your entire family builds character.”
“Is this real? I wholly reject this concept. If they’re not mature enough to watch, then they’re not mature enough to watch. This also plays into the whole ‘sex scenes are unnecessary’ griping that is going to become poisonous to art. Just pick something else for family night lol,” a third X user shared.
Several X users made jokes, with one person <a href="https://twitter.com/NatiTTV/status/1777036213485981922">observing</a> how the racy HBO drama “Game of Thrones” would have “2 minutes of episode time.” 
“Need this option on flights! Was just trying to watch ‘Oppenheimer’ in my aisle seat and suddenly it looks like I just fired up a porn on a flight,” yet another commenter wrote, referring to the graphic sex scene in the Oscar Award winning film.

Fake Tweet About Netflix’s New ‘Skip The Foreplay’ Feature Goes Viral, Creator Responds To Commenters Wishing It Was Real

Fake Tweet About Netflix's New 'Skip The Foreplay' Feature Goes Viral, Creator Responds To Commenters Wishing It Was Real

Social Media

Twitter

A former lawyer who worked for the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/china">Chinese</a> gaming company Yoozoo Games was sentenced to death on Friday for fatally <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/murder">poisoning</a> its billionaire founder, Lin Qi.
Xu Yao was accused of serving Lin and other colleagues poison following a dispute over business operations, per a report from <a href="https://deadline.com/2024/03/ex-gaming-exec-company-3-body-problem-film-rights-sentenced-death-1235872375/">Deadline</a>. Lin became very ill between September and December 2020 and died from complications on Christmas Day 2020. Xu, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/01/world/asia/china-three-body-problem-murder.html">described</a> as &#8220;disgruntled&#8221; by the New York Times, was taken into custody by Chinese police several days later.
Yoozoo Games owns the rights to the massively popular new <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/netflix">Netflix</a> series, “3 Body Problem.” 
The company gave Netflix the right to produce an adaptation of the sci-fi trilogy in 2020, the outlet noted. “3 Body Problem” is produced by “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Lin was also named as an executive producer for the project.
BBC News <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-68705857">reported</a> that Xu was hired as the company&#8217;s chief risk officer in 2017. He initially had a good relationship with Lin and his co-workers. The publication noted that Lin appointed Xu to spearhead a subsidiary called The Three Body Universe one year after his hiring. Both men worked together closely on putting together the Netflix deal.
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Authorities claim that Xu made his plans to poison his enemies when those relationships fractured after Lin put other executives in charge of business operations. He first tested the poison on animals, then moved on to people. An article from The Hollywood Reporter citing local media said that Lin gave Xu and others poisoned tea, while the Deadline report claims the poison was distributed via fake probiotic pills.
In 2020, company reps issued a statement on the passing of its founder on its official Weibo microblog. &#8220;Goodbye youth,&#8221; it said. &#8220;We will be together, continue to be kind, continue to believe in goodness, and continue the fight against all that is bad.”
“3 Body Problem” has become a huge success for Netflix, with 11 million views in its first four days on the streaming platform. It follows an astrophysicist who sees her father beaten to death during a struggle session in the Chinese Cultural Revolution. She is conscripted by the military to help save Earth from an alien invasion.

Yoozoo

‘Disgruntled’ Exec From Company That Owns Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’ Rights Sentenced To Death In China

'Disgruntled' Exec From Company That Owns Netflix's '3 Body Problem' Rights Sentenced To Death In China 

China

Courts

Murder

World

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/meghan-markle">Meghan Markle</a> appears to be launching a new lifestyle brand after at least one failed business venture.
The 42-year-old former working <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/royal-family">royal</a>, who is married to Prince Harry, debuted American Riviera Orchard with nine photos which combined to depict the company logo on Instagram. As of Friday morning, the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/americanrivieraorchard/">account</a> had more than 382,000 followers. 
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/instagram">Instagram</a> launch included a short video posted to stories showing a person arranging flowers, Meghan stirring a pot in a kitchen, and a woman posing in a ballgown. The bio section of the Instagram account says “by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex&#8221; and &#8220;Established 2024.” The accompanying website doesn&#8217;t have any info besides a place for fans to sign up to be on the waitlist.
Before marrying into the royal family, Meghan ran the lifestyle site The Tig. She shut it down prior to becoming the Duchess of Sussex. 
Meghan and Harry settled in California after leaving the working royal life and settled in an area of the state known as the American Riviera.
The brand’s trademark filing application includes cookbooks, tableware, linens, spreads and preserves including jellies, jams and nut butters, and table place card holders, per <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/mar/15/meghan-markle-new-brand-american-riviera-orchard-instagram-post">The Guardian</a>. A second international registration application encompasses stationery, textiles, string bags, yoga gear and pet-related items.
The Duchess of Sussex has worked on several business ideas since leaving life in London. She and Harry signed a five-year deal with Netflix and also inked a Spotify contract which ended in 2023. Meghan’s Archetypes podcast had mixed reviews and wasn&#8217;t renewed for a second season.
Bill Simmons, Spotify’s head of podcast innovation and monetization, slammed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as they parted ways with the platform.
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“I wish I had been involved in the ‘Megan and Harry leave Spotify’ negotiation,” he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spotify-executive-bill-simmons-blasts-prince-harry-meghan-markle-fing-grifters">said</a> in January 2023. “‘The F***ing Grifters.’ That’s the podcast we shoulda launched with them. I gotta get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It’s one of my best stories.”
“Shoot this guy to the sun. I’m so tired of this guy,” Simmons said of Prince Harry. “What does he bring to the table? He just whines about s*** and keeps giving interviews. … Who cares about your life? You weren’t even the favorite son.”
A source told <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/royals/10796833/meghan-markles-podcast-netflix-royal/">The Sun</a> that the brand’s launch is meant to coincide with a new cooking show on Netflix, but rumors have been rampant that Harry and Meghan’s partnership with the streaming platform has also been in jeopardy.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told the outlet that the brand launch could be a means to keep the partnership going.
&#8220;Obviously this is another opportunity for them to point out that there&#8217;s a link to Netflix with Meghan&#8217;s new project,” Fitzwilliams told the outlet. &#8220;Now, that&#8217;s particularly significant. They&#8217;re very nervous about the Netflix contract, which expires next year. It&#8217;s worth $100million and is absolutely pivotal for them because they lost Spotify.”

Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle Appears To Launch Surprise Lifestyle Brand On Instagram After Spotify Failure

Instagram

Prince Harry

Royal Family

Spotify

The stats are in, and classic TV shows like &#8220;Seinfeld,&#8221; &#8220;Friends,&#8221; and &#8220;Suits,&#8221; crushed the new, more expensive shows in 2023 that were driven by Hollywood’s desire to focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) rather than storytelling.
Audiences love a good story. Thus, success in movies and television has always been the result of great storytellers writing great stories — regardless of whether the writers were male or female, white or black or any other minority. But according to <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/hollywoods-new-rules" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Free Press</a>, those times appear to be changing.
<div id="attachment_704435" style="width: 386px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-704435" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-704435" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-138360746-376x576.jpg" alt="SEINFELD -- &quot;The Frogger&quot; Episode 18 -- Pictured: (l-r) Jason Alexander as George Costanza, Jerry Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld (Photo by Joseph Del Valle/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)" width="376" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-138360746-376x576.jpg 376w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-138360746-196x300.jpg 196w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-138360746.jpg 668w" sizes="(max-width: 376px) 100vw, 376px" />Joseph Del Valle/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images</div>
<h3>Streaming Platforms</h3>
Streaming companies like Amazon, Netflix, and Disney+ have been shelling out millions of dollars to create shows that will please the DEI gods, but those are losing out to old shows, also known as acquired shows, <a href="https://www.frontpagemag.com/why-old-tv-shows-are-beating-hollywoods-billion-dollar-dei-machine/?fbclid=IwAR3ZJCvGZkDZm429rlKqlZmuv-JTr8HkPjOdmVfrqzd1dNVjNsVYuIZsKYY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Front Page magazine</a> noted.
According to <a href="https://www.nielsen.com/insights/2024/streaming-unwrapped-streaming-viewership-goes-to-the-library-in-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nielsen&#8217;s</a> Streaming Viewership from 2023, which tracks what people listen to and watch, more than 57 billion minutes were spent last year watching “Suits,” a legal drama that premiered in 2011. That was more than any other show last year.
<div id="attachment_704439" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-704439" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-704439" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1088051728-864x576.jpg" alt="SUITS -- &quot;Whale Hunt&quot; Episode 812 -- Pictured: Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter -- (Photo by: Ian Watson/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1088051728-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1088051728-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1088051728-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-1088051728.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Ian Watson/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images</div>
In fact, of the top 10 streamed shows of 2023, more than a handful are all shows that were made more than a decade ago.
Shows like “Gilmore Girls,” and “Friends,” which have been off the air for years, were watched in 2023 billions of minutes more than the new ones like “Ted Lasso” or “Ginny and Georgia.”
<div id="attachment_704433" style="width: 865px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-704433" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-704433" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-140631535-855x576.jpg" alt="FRIENDS -- &quot;The One With The Rumor&quot;-- Episode 9 -- Aired 11/22/2001 -- Pictured: (l-r) Brad Pitt as Will Colbert, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller-Bing, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller -- Photo by : Danny Feld/NBCU Photo Bank" width="855" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-140631535-855x576.jpg 855w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-140631535-300x202.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-140631535-768x518.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-140631535.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 855px) 100vw, 855px" />Danny Feld/NBCU Photo Bank</div>
Netflix spent $168 million on shows like “Bridgerton” for the first three seasons and lost to shows like “Suits” which it paid a reported estimate of $200,000 per episode, <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/09/streaming-residuals-explained-suits-netflix-1235552804/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Deadline</a> noted.
In addition, Disney spent $25 million an episode for its woke “Star Wars” series “Ahsoka” in 2023 but ended up losing in the ratings war to shows like “Suits” with a budget of $3 million, Front Page magazine noted.
<h3>TV Shows By The Minutes</h3>
In an article titled, “How Comfort Shows Conquered Streaming TV,” the <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/top-streaming-shows-most-watched-1235816555/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hollywood Reporter</a> noted that the top 10 overall titles in Nielsen’s year-end rankings for 2023 are all acquired shows.” It’s also reported that it’s “the first time that’s happened in the four years streaming rankings have been publicly available.”
Acquired shows had a massive showing in 2023, with the top 10 accounting for 339.5 billion minutes of viewing, that’s up almost 41% from 2022 when 241.4 billion minutes were viewed, THR noted.
“We definitely had a lesser number of originals [in 2023],” Brian Fuhrer, Nielsen’s senior vp product strategy and thought leadership, told the outlet. “As a result, the introduction of huge new blockbuster originals that we’re used to, that really wasn’t the case this year.”
Speaking of originals, looks like the &#8216;show about nothing&#8217; still has what it takes. According to <a href="https://tv.parrotanalytics.com/US/seinfeld-nbc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Parrot Analytics</a>, &#8220;&#8221;Seinfeld&#8221; has 32.9 times the audience demand of the average TV show in the United States … This exceptional level of demand puts &#8220;Seinfeld&#8221; in the top 0.2% of all TV shows.”
<div id="attachment_704407" style="width: 933px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-704407" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-704407" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-138359792-923x576.jpg" alt="SEINFELD -- &quot;The Frogger&quot; Episode 18 -- Pictured: (l-r) Jason Alexander as George Costanza,áJerry Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld (Photo by Joey Delvalle/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)" width="923" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-138359792-923x576.jpg 923w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-138359792-300x187.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-138359792-768x479.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/03/GettyImages-138359792.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 923px) 100vw, 923px" />Joey Delvalle/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images</div>
<h3>How We Got There</h3>
Following the death of George Floyd and the subsequent Black Lives Matter riots in 2020, which destroyed towns and divided the country, the pressure was on to make changes in our society. Those included the characters we saw on the small screen and those working behind the scenes, the outlet noted.
In response, there’s been a huge drive for &#8220;inclusivity&#8221; in Hollywood, regardless of whether those hired are the best to get the job done, something that seems to be happening in every aspect of our society.
And the problem isn&#8217;t just woke issues woven into a story for the sake of DEI. Hollywood has always been eager to tackle those kinds of things. Take the example of the 1967 classic movie “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” with Sidney Poitier and Katherine Hepburn, which tackled interracial marriage or on the small screen with shows like “All in the Family” (1971-1979) which dealt with race issues head-on.
The DEI push, on the other hand, seeks to influence every aspect of show business, but audiences are making it clear, they are only interested in great stories, regardless of how old.
<h3>Writers&#8217; Room</h3>
In an effort to be seen as “inclusive,&#8221; legendary networks made massive changes to who was telling the stories and writing the shows. At CBS, the company <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2020-07-13/cbs-racial-diversity-effort-writers-development-bipoc#:~:text=CBS%20wants%20at%20least%2040,producers%2C%20the%20network%20announced%20Monday" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mandated</a> that writers’ rooms have at least 40% minority representation for the 2021-2022 broadcast season with 25% of its script development budget to fund projects from creators, writers and producers who meet their diversity qualifications, the Free Press noted.
ABC Entertainment issued a detailed series of “inclusion standards,” the outlet noted. <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/abc-unveils-ambitious-set-of-inclusion-standards-exclusive-4069409/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ABC</a> also committed to making sure 50% of its showrunners, writers, producers, crew, performers check a BIPOC representation box by the 2022-23 season, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/abc-unveils-ambitious-set-of-inclusion-standards-exclusive-4069409/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">THR</a> noted.
“I’m all for LGBT and Native Americans, blacks, females, whatever minorities that have not been served correctly in the making of content, whether it’s television or movies or whatever, but I think it’s gone too far,” Howard Koch, who has been involved in the production of more than 60 movies and is the former president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts &amp; Sciences, said, the Free Press noted.
“I know a lot of very talented people that can’t get work because they’re not black, Native American, female or LGBTQ,” he added.
The Writers Guild of America West <a href="https://www.wga.org/uploadedfiles/the-guild/inclusion-and-equity/Inclusion-Report-2022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Inclusion and Equity Report</a> of 2022, found that in 2011 64% of staff writers had been men, but by 2020, only a third were. It also found in 2011 71% of staff writers were white, but by 2020 less than half were.
Diving into the report further, the number of “white producers by 2020 fell by 24%, the number of male producers by 25%&#8230;white executive story editors fell by 26% and male executive editors by 27%,” according to the report.
A <a href="https://x.com/Scientific_Bird/status/1759700304725971342?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">chart</a> in the report showed that, ”between 2011 and 2020, staff writers moved from 35% to 63% women, and 72% to 44% white.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Large demographic shift in American TV series staff.
According to Writers Guild of America West data, between 2011 and 2020, staff writers moved from 35% to 63% women, and 72% to 44% white. <a href="https://t.co/FU2HuB00CW">pic.twitter.com/FU2HuB00CW</a>
&mdash; Inquisitive Bird (@Scientific_Bird) <a href="https://twitter.com/Scientific_Bird/status/1759700304725971342?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<h3>Acting Roles</h3>
Findings in the <a href="https://socialsciences.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/UCLA-Hollywood-Diversity-Report-2022-Television-10-27-2022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UCLA</a> Hollywood Diversity 2022 Television report were similar with the “White share” of top broadcast scripted roles, top cable scripted roles and in the digital scripted arena decline in 2020-21 compared to those same areas in 2019-20.
While “Black (18.6%) and multiracial (14%) persons were actually overrepresented” across the board,” the report noted.
The report showed women made huge gains during the same time frame, with “women’s share of top digital scripted roles increased and actually surpassed that of their male counterparts.” In the report, women now accounted for 50.3% of these roles in 2020-21, compared to only 49% for males.
In 2020, the Emmy awards <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2020/06/18/emmy-nominations-rule-change-aims-more-diversity-and-inclusion/3213111001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> changes to its nomination process which it said were intended to &#8220;align the nominations selection process across all awards categories and to allow for more inclusiveness in the recognition of excellence,” <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2020/06/18/emmy-nominations-rule-change-aims-more-diversity-and-inclusion/3213111001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">USA Today</a> noted.
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-hollywoods-new-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-executives-are-shaping-whats-on-your-screens" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted previously</a>, this DEI push in Hollywood means network, executives, and studios no longer care about making sure to pick the scripts, actors and directors and best people for a show. It’s now all about representation.
All the changes, however, have not translated into success for entertainment companies. So, the question remains: will Hollywood change course now that audiences have spoken?

Seinfeld

‘It’s Not You, It’s Me’: Why Old Shows Like ‘Seinfeld’ Are Crushing New, Expensive Shows

Amazon

Disney

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Friends

Comedian <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/dave-chappelle">Dave Chappelle</a> is once again facing backlash from leftist critics for making jokes about the trans community in his newest <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/netflix">Netflix</a> comedy special.
The outrage stems from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/comedy">comments</a> Chappelle made in &#8220;The Dreamer,&#8221; which was released on December 31.
During one bit, the 50-year-old shares a story about meeting <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jim-carrey">Jim Carrey</a> on the set of the movie &#8220;The Man on the Moon&#8221; (1999). Chappelle explained how Carrey stayed in character as Andy Kaufman even when cameras weren’t rolling and insisted that everyone on set address him as “Andy” at all times. The comedian equated this type of method acting as being similar to how trans-identifying people behave.
&#8220;I wanted to meet Jim Carrey and I had to pretend this n***a was Andy Kaufman all afternoon. And he was clearly Jim Carrey,&#8221; Chappelle said. &#8220;I could look at him and I could see he was Jim Carrey. Anyway, I say all that to say that&#8217;s how trans people make me feel.&#8221;
The comedian peppered in several other jokes about gender identity and preferred pronouns throughout “The Dreamer,” just like he did in his previous comedy special “The Closer,” which made headlines for the same reasons.
A reviewer from Rolling Stone complained about Chappelle being “obsessed with trans people.” 
&#8220;It’s unfortunate that Chappelle’s The Dreamer is, like some of his prior Netflix specials, obsessively fixated on the trans community, because it’s not an area he particularly excels at, resorting to puerile premises and punchlines,” writer Marlow Stern <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/dave-chappelle-the-dreamer-netflix-trans-jokes-attack-chris-rock-will-smith-1234938580/">wrote</a>.
“There are, of course, ways to artfully tell a trans joke — take Michelle Wolf’s recent Netflix special It’s Great to Be Here — but Chappelle is apparently incapable of having most of his bits extend beyond mocking genitalia or pronouns. It’s not just tired but uninspired,&#8221; he added.
Variety editor William Earl <a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/dave-chappelle-the-dreamer-netflix-trans-jokes-1235852073/">agreed</a> that Chappelle has an &#8220;obsession with mocking trans people” and suggested he should try “some new material.”
&#8220;Dave Chappelle’s New Netflix Special Proves He’s Learned Nothing,&#8221; Sean McCarthy from The Daily Beast lamented. 
&#8220;It feels so frustrating to sit and watch comedians with the stature of Chappelle and [Ricky] Gervais devote so much of their time and energy to bullying the LGBTQ+ community when they could be doing anything else on stage. And then they have the temerity to question us, the audience, for not laughing with them,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/dave-chappelles-new-netflix-special-the-dreamer-proves-hes-learned-nothing">wrote</a>.
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Meanwhile, clips from “The Dreamer” have been circulating online and getting praise from viewers. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Dave Chappelle’s new Netflix special is out, and he’s telling the truth about trans. <a href="https://t.co/WdndzE3ZHN">pic.twitter.com/WdndzE3ZHN</a>
&mdash; Billboard Chris 🇨🇦🇺🇸 (@BillboardChris) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillboardChris/status/1741846520000094637?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Dave Chappelle’s new Netflix special is out, and he’s telling the truth about trans,” the popular X account Billboard Chris, a critic of gender ideology, shared, racking up more than 27 million views of Chappelle telling the story about Carrey.
&#8220;Precisely. Dave Chappelle gets it,&#8221; former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines agreed.

Dave Chappelle

Leftists Whine About Trans Jokes In Dave Chappelle’s New Comedy Special: ‘He’s Learned Nothing’

Leftists Whine About Trans Jokes In Dave Chappelle's New Comedy Special: 'He's Learned Nothing' 

Jim Carrey

trans

Transgender

Transgenders

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ricky-gervais" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ricky Gervais</a> hit back at outrage over his new comedy special &#8220;Armageddon&#8221; after it became the number 1 show on Netflix.
The 62-year-old <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/comedian-ricky-gervais-says-he-deals-with-taboo-subjects-in-his-shows-and-smart-people-can-deal-with-anything" target="_blank" rel="noopener">British comedian</a> <a href="https://movieweb.com/ricky-gervais-response-netflix-armageddon-joke-removal-petition/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the &#8220;faux offense&#8221; over jokes in his new one-hour special that hit the streaming site on Christmas Day comes from people just wanting attention.
A joke from the show about &#8220;crafting videos for terminally ill children&#8221; and the &#8220;Make A Wish&#8221; Foundation did cause a bit of controversy. Gervais said he always starts out the video by asking the kids,&#8221;Why didn’t you wish to get better? What are you f***ing ret**ed as well?&#8221;
Following the audiences response in the show, the comedian said, &#8220;I don&#8217;t do that&#8230; I&#8217;m playing a role.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
What a wonderful world ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/pChprPpwqA">pic.twitter.com/pChprPpwqA</a>
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) <a href="https://twitter.com/rickygervais/status/1739648924619514073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 26, 2023</a></blockquote>
Gervais pointed out that, &#8220;I don’t do that. But people have a reaction. They don&#8217;t analyze it. They feel something – that&#8217;s what offense is. It&#8217;s a feeling. That&#8217;s why &#8216;I&#8217;m offended&#8217; is quite meaningless. What do you want me to change?&#8221;
&#8220;They&#8217;re not really offended,&#8221; he added. &#8220;They just want to be heard.&#8221;
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&#8220;Of all the millions of people that watched it and loved it, only a few don&#8217;t like it,&#8221; Gervais continued. &#8220;If I give them special attention and try and placate them, I&#8217;ve annoyed the other millions of people that got the joke. They go, &#8216;No, you&#8217;ve ruined it for us!'&#8221;
During his new comedy special, Gervais took a dig at twenty-somethings and the &#8220;crying&#8221; they do over jokes. He touched on the insanity of climate change, joked about loving &#8220;illegal immigration,&#8221; said there&#8217;s only &#8220;two genders,&#8221; and more.
At the top of his new special he also addressed the outrage over his last Netflix special, &#8220;Super Nature,&#8221; which he said &#8220;made it the most watched special of the year.&#8221;
&#8220;People saying &#8216;you can&#8217;t say that.&#8217; You can. You can,&#8221; Gervais added.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ricky-gervais-has-two-words-when-asked-about-hosting-2023-golden-globes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ricky Gervais Has Two Words When Asked About Hosting 2023 Golden Globes</a>

Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais Hits Back At Outrage Over His Latest Netflix Special

Racism

Woke Culture

The Daily Wire announced that, for the first time ever, it will offer a two-week free trial for its new kids entertainment company, <a href="https://www.bentkey.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bentkey</a>. The announcement comes after extreme backlash to Netflix’s top kids show, CoComelon, which featured a boy dancing in a tutu and a tiara for his two dads.
The Daily Wire launched <a href="https://www.bentkey.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bentkey</a> in October on the 100th anniversary of Disney’s founding as Disney continues to struggle with plummeting favorability ratings and becomes more and more openly political. The Bentkey app features hundreds of episodes of kids shows, including Bentkey originals like “A Wonderful Day with Mabel Maclay” and “Chip Chilla.” 
Beginning this week — just in time for Christmas break — new subscribers can take advantage of a 14-day free trial by downloading the Bentkey app or visiting <a href="https://www.bentkey.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bentkey.com</a>, giving parents a great opportunity to check out entertaining content for their kids without the woke indoctrination.
“CoComelon has 172 billion views on YouTube and is the #1 and #2 most popular kids shows on Netflix, and they just introduced two Dads encouraging their son to choose whatever feels right,” said Daily Wire co-founder Jeremy Boreing in a <a href="https://twitter.com/JeremyDBoreing/status/1737565272477769856" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on X. “But we know it’s not about what feels right, it’s about what is right. Which is why we’ve invested tens of millions of dollars into creating Bentkey, a platform for kids entertainment that actually reinforces our values and protects kids from the most radical ideas of today. Building alternatives is the only way we can win, and every new subscriber to Bentkey is making an investment into that future. We are not done building, but we can’t do it without you. Join us in the fight and get great content your kids will love and you can trust.” 
CoComelon’s introduction of LGBTQ themes in children’s content was yet another example of leftism infecting nearly every sphere of the entertainment industry, even targeting toddlers. 
<a href="https://www.bentkey.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DOWNLOAD THE BENTKEY APP AND GET A TWO-WEEK FREE TRIAL</a>
Earlier this week, The New York Times attacked Bentkey’s “Chip Chilla,” claiming the show depicts a “weirdly present” father who teaches “lessons about dead white people” as numerous other kids shows have jumped into the culture wars, taking the side of the Left. Earlier this year, “Paw Patrol” introduced a “nonbinary” character and Disney’s “The Proud Family” began forcing elements of Critical Race Theory into episodes. 
While more and more kids entertainment content incorporates radical gender and race theories into shows for children as young as toddlers, Bentkey seeks to entertain children with good values and no wokeness. 
Parents can simply download the app or go to <a href="http://www.bentkey.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.bentkey.com</a> and use the code UNLOCK to start their 14-day free holiday look into a world of adventure for their kids.

Bentkey

Following CoComelon Backlash, Daily Wire Launches 14-Day Free Trial For Kids Entertainment App, Bentkey

Following CoComelon Backlash, Daily Wire Launches 14-day Free Trial For Kids Entertainment App, Bentkey

Daily Wire

kids

LGBTQ

Wokeness

The internet has exploded with commentary about one scene in the show CoComelon Lane, which is a spinoff of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment">popular</a> animated series CoComelon. The episode in question features <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lgbt">two fathers</a> fawning over a little boy dancing around in a tutu and tiara.
Daily Wire podcast host Matt Walsh addressed the episode on his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-matt-walsh-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wednesday show</a>. “Another popular <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/children">children</a>’s program has decided to go all-in on Left-wing indoctrination,” he began. 
“The clip circulating on social media today is from episode 8 of the show’s recently released first season. In the clip, we see a young boy — a character named Nico — dancing around in a dress and a tiara while his two gay dads look on approvingly. It’s so on-the-nose that you’d be forgiven for assuming that it must be a parody. But it is not. Not intentionally, anyway,” Walsh continued.
Walsh went on to mention how all iterations of CoComelon should be banned because they are “annoying and obnoxious.” 
“Bad music, bad voice acting, very bad, lifeless, ugly animation. The whole show looks and sounds like something that was generated in 12 seconds by AI,” the podcast host continued. But putting all those complaints aside, the more concerning aspects of this episode are the blatant attempts to force radical gender theory on toddlers,” he said.
“Whatever the message is, the child watching the show will be perfectly susceptible to it,” Walsh went on. “Netflix has your child where they want him. Sitting there, eyes glued to the screen, passively absorbing whatever images, sounds, and ideas emerge from it. And if your kid happened to be watching Episode 8 of CoComelon Lane, he would passively absorb the idea that it’s normal for boys to dress like girls, and that there’s nothing strange about a child having two dads.”
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Netflix needs the full Bud Light treatment for this <a href="https://t.co/dj0IMFULjd">https://t.co/dj0IMFULjd</a>
&mdash; Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/1737485333481087139?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
He added that it was intentional to debut this scene in episode 8 because it’s more likely parents wouldn’t notice it by then. 
“Like any groomer, it wants to lure parents into a false sense of security,” the podcast host said. “They see the first couple of episodes, everything looks pretty normal and harmless, not knowing that the gay dads and the cross dressing kid is buried midway through the eighth episode. It’s all very deliberate, and very evil, and sadly very effective.”
Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro also discussed the CoComelon Lane episode on his Wednesday <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1873-breaking-trump-barred-from-colorado-ballot-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">show</a>. 
“I mean, this is the kind of crap that many people are allowing their kids to watch,&#8221; Shapiro said. &#8220;It is confusing to them. It is indoctrinating them into a particular leftist point of view about human relationships and gender and sex and all the rest to very small children. You don&#8217;t need this.”
Shapiro went on to remind listeners that <a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus-v3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bentkey</a> remains the perfect antidote to this “garbage” television.  
Daily Wire co-founder Jeremy Boreing also commented on the episode, saying that scenes in children’s shows like this one are why The Daily Wire launched Bentkey in the first place.
“This is why we built Bentkey.com. Parents need options. Bentkey is the way,” Boreing shared on X.
CoComelon Lane, a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-netflixs-top-kids-show-features-boy-in-tutu-dancing-for-his-two-dads">spinoff</a> of the wildly popular animated CoComelon series, was released on Netflix on November 17.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus-v3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHECK OUT BENTKEY HERE</a>

Baby TV

‘Very Deliberate And Very Evil’: Matt Walsh, Ben Shapiro Slam CoComelon Episode With Gay Dads Celebrating Boy In A Dress

'Very Deliberate And Very Evil': Matt Walsh, Ben Shapiro Slam 'Cocomelon' Episode With Gay Dads Celebrating Boy In A Dress

Animation

Ben Shapiro

Children

Leftism

Matt Walsh

Television

Streaming platform <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/netflix">Netflix</a> has released viewership data for the first time ever after being asked to provide the information for years.
The company <a href="https://about.netflix.com/en/news/what-we-watched-a-netflix-engagement-report">report</a>, “What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report,” will be published twice a year going forward, per a company memo. Although Netflix has provided weekly lists of top 10 movies and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/television">TV series</a> since 2021, this is the first time the streaming service has released such a comprehensive report.
The document accounts for hours <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment">viewed</a> for every title (original and licensed) that was watched for more than 50,000 hours, the premiere date for any Netflix TV series or film, and whether a title was available globally.
This in-depth report includes viewership data of 18,000 titles collected from January until June 2023. The top five most-watched titles are “The Night Agent,” season 1 (812,100,000 hours), “Ginny &amp; Georgia,” season 2 (665,100,000 hours), “The Glory,” season 1 (662,800,000 hours), “Wednesday,” season 1 (507,700,000 hours), and “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” (503,000,000 hours).
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“This is a big step forward for Netflix and our industry. We believe the viewing information in this report — combined with our weekly Top 10 and Most Popular lists — will give creators and our industry deeper insights into our audiences, and what resonates with them,” the memo continues.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said viewing hours are the most effective way to measure engagement. 
“It’s easy to understand. It mirrors third parties like Nielsen in the US. It makes Netflix very easy to compare to other streaming services,” the exec said during a conference call on Tuesday, per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/12/media/netflix-viewership-data/index.html">CNN Business</a>.
This move from the streaming giant comes on the heels of the WGA (Writers Guild of America) strike this summer, which was due in part to a lack of transparency from streaming companies sharing their data. Netflix pledged to be more forthcoming with this type of information in the contract, ratified in October.
Sarandos told reporters during the call that the &#8220;unintended consequence of not having more transparent data about our engagement was it created an atmosphere of mistrust over time with producers and creators and the press about what was happening.&#8221;

Netflix Releases In-Depth Viewership Data For 18,000 Titles

Writer's Guild of America

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