After a stellar couple of weeks since its release on Netflix, the show, Beef, has received criticism for one of its actors. The show made its debut on the streaming platform on April 6th and has consistently been praised as one of the best shows so far.
Unfortunately, this new controversy surrounding one of its actors, David Choe (who plays Isaac Cho in the show), is affecting its viewership. And some are even calling out Ali Wong, Steven Yeun, and creator Lee Sung Jin for choosing a "successful rapist" to be on their show.
If you haven't kept up to date with the issue, here's what you need to know.
Why Is Social Media Canceling David Choe?
With the success of Beef, David Choe's sexual assault comments on a 2014 podcast have resurfaced along with his exposure. The artist-turned-actor made the comment in his DVDASA podcast together with Asa Akira, who is a porn actress and director.
In the podcast, the two discussed things related to their lives, relationships, work, and sex. Choe allegedly made a joke about sexually assaulting his massage therapist and getting away with it.
The actor referred to himself as a "successful rapist" after getting his masseuse to do oral sex on him. Later in the podcast, he clarified: "I just want to make it clear that I admit that that's rapey behavior, but I am not a rapist."
Back then, Choe's statements were discussed on a website called XOJane (now defunct) and were picked up in a BuzzFeed article. The graffiti artist claimed his masseuse rape joke was art.
After getting commissioned to do a mural in downtown Manhattan's The Bowery in 2017, the controversy resurfaced. Choe then gave a more thorough apology using his Instagram account:
Again, in 2021, Choe had to address the issue and referred to himself as a "recovering liar."
In the height of Beef's success, the controversy has once again resurfaced on social media thanks to Aura Bogado, who is a senior reporter at the Center for Investigative Reporting. Bogado tweeted:
The tweet included screenshots of the original BuzzFeed article. Ever since then, the public has gotten disappointed with the casting choice.
Some even plan to boycott watching the show as a form of protest over Choe's involvement in the show. Apart from being an actor in the show, Choe was commissioned to do the art for each episode's title card.
Has David Choe Addressed the Issue?
Although Choe has addressed the controversy at least three times, it seems like the internet does not plan on letting the issue die down. Just a few days after Bogado's tweet blew up, Twitter had taken down the tweets with embedded clips from the podcast over a DMCA copyright claim.
The complaint notice sent to Bogado and content strategist Meecham Whitson Meriweather read:
The notice was then signed as "Sincerely, David Choe, The David Young Choe Foundation.”
According to the Lumen database, Choe's non-profit has also submitted a DMCA complaint to Google to remove the episode from both YouTube and Google Drive:
Have the Beef Cast and Crew Responded to the Criticism?
It is no secret that Choe is friends with Yeun and Wong in real life. The two are also executive producers of the show.
Fans are calling out Yeun, Wong, Netflix, A24, and Lee Sung Jin for hiring Choe despite his 2014 controversy. Bogado tweeted:
Meanwhile, Merriweather tweeted:
As of this writing, however, none have commented on the situation.
On April 21, 2023, the team behind Beef issued a joint statement over the who controversy surrounding David Choe. The statement was written by Lee Sung Jin, Ali Wong, and Steven Yeun; which they exclusively released to Variety.
The statement, however, was met with criticism on social media. Some have even called it a "wasted opportunity" and hoped that they could still make it right.
Beef is currently available to stream on Netflix.
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