Netflix actor wields DMCA takedowns to block tweets sharing “rapey” clip
Enlarge / David Choe. (credit: Rodin Eckenroth / Stringer | FilmMagic)
Netflix is facing calls to boycott its latest hit series Beef after a 2014 podcast clip recently resurfaced, showing Beef actor David Choe graphically detailing what he described then as his own “rapey behavior.” Choe later clarified in a 2014 statement that the podcast clip featured one of his misguided attempts at performance “art” while he was mentally unwell. He insisted that the sexual assault he described was entirely fabricated and declared, “I am not a rapist.”
That clip came back to haunt Choe this month when his performance in Beef drew wide praise, and journalists posted the clip to remind audiences of Choe’s past transgression. The clip quickly went viral on social media, and Choe seemingly decided to do damage control by sending copyright takedown notices through his nonprofit, The David Young Choe Foundation, and successfully getting some of the clips removed from Twitter.
“Several Twitter users—@MediumSizeMeech and @aurabogado have re-uploaded a clip from Episode 106 ‘Erection Quest’ of our DVDASA live podcast and video series that was originally published on March 10, 2014 without our consent,” the takedown request read, specifically noting that the request came directly from Choe.