Netflix had arguably the biggest smash hit of the year on its hands after the early April release of Beef , starring Ali Wong and Steven Yeun. Now, accusations of rape and nepotism have been levied against actor David Choe , turning conversations about the series away from the performances and storytelling and leaving many unhappy with the streaming giant.
The controversy started shortly after ‘Beef’ hit the streaming service.
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David plays Isaac, Steven’s problematic cousin whose release from prison continues to spell bad news for Steven’s character on the dark comedy.
Although the writing and acting have drawn great praise from fans and critics alike, David’s association with the project prompted intense backlash after a 2014 clip resurfaced.
In graphic detail, the actor described raping a massage therapist.
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David’s podcast DVDASA — which stands for Double Vaginal, Double Anal, Sensitive Artist , according to Vulture — included a segment when he described sexually assaulting a masseuse.
“I just want to make it clear that I admit that that’s rapey behavior,” David said after telling the story. “But I am not a rapist.”
David faced backlash back in 2014 but it died down fairly quickly.
David Choe wrote to Twitter to get the video I posted of him talking about the woman he says he raped taken down on copyright grounds. He claims his nonprofit owns the copyright to the video of him talking about the alleged rape. pic.twitter.com/6IaSXTOeQ1 — Aura Bogado (@aurabogado) April 16, 2023
Thanks to the popularity of Beef , the clips quickly recirculated and went viral. David’s legal team swiftly stepped in to have them removed from Twitter, but the damage had already been done by that point.
People across the platform started calling out the actor for rape, fetishizing Black women, and being a predator.
His relationship with his costars is likely what helped David get the role.
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The show’s creator, Lee Sun Jin, told Today.com that he cast David after watching his now-defunct The Choe Show . He said that he texted Ali and Steven to see if they thought their friend would be interested in acting, prompting David to create a self-tape that landed him the role.
This has prompted criticism over the way Netflix handled the casting , opting to pick a friend of the cast instead of working with professional actors who tried out for the role.
All of this has taken away from what should be an amazing time for the cast and crew.
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The series scored a coveted 98% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes , with many celebrating it as one of the best things Netflix has ever released. It’s a shame that one man’s past actions could so quickly tarnish something that so many people obviously worked so hard on.
Netflix, Ali, and Steven have all remained mum about the allegations so far, but we have a feeling they won’t be able to stay quiet too much longer.
