If there’s one thing that everyone can agree on about Dave Chappelle’s latest Netflix special The Closer is that it has stirred up a lot of controversy. All of the attention brought to the show has shown terms like “cancel culture” don’t mean much when Chappelle is enjoying the attention gained from getting people angry while on the other end Netflix employees are getting suspended for speaking out. But now, The Closer has even managed to drag Rotten Tomatoes into the mix.
Jesse Singal, a journalist that has been involved in his own controversies with transphobic remarks just like Chappelle, took to Twitter to discuss an interesting phenomenon happening on the ratings website. While the Tomatometer Rating of The Closer currently sits at 43% at the time of writing, the Audience Rating is at a whopping 97%.
This concept of “The Chappelle Ratio” instantly sparked debate. While there have been plenty of polarizing movies and shows that critics and fans can’t quite agree on, it looks like The Closer and other shows surrounded by drama might have a unique aspect that affects how this works.
Many users tried to point out how controversy changes the reviews of shows by comparing them to other popular comedy specials that have appeared on Netflix.
With some trying to simply talk about review bombing — the internet phenomenon of review brigading online with positive or negative reviews — being likely the only reason The Closer’s score is so high.
While others pointed out that the primary audience of a project might be what severely affects the scores.
Whether you love it or hate it, it looks like Dave Chappelle’s newest special is staying on the platform. Despite calls from the National Black Justice Defense Coalition to have it removed, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos shared in an internal email that this wouldn’t be happening.
“You should also be aware that some talent may join third parties in asking us to remove the show in the coming days, which we are not going to do.”
Do you think “The Chappelle Ratio” is a real thing or is it just review bombing like others have said? Let us know!