Netflix fires employee who organized transgender walkout to protest Dave Chappelle's new special

Netflix has fired an employee who organized a walkout among transgender employees to protest against Dave Chappelle's new comedy special in which he makes several jokes targeting transgender people.

The Verge reports that the employee, who is remaining anonymous due to worries about being subjected to an online harassment campaign, was fired on suspicion of leaking financial numbers about how much Netflix paid Chappelle for his latest special.

"We have let go of an employee for sharing confidential, commercially sensitive information outside the company," a Netflix spokesperson tells The Verge. "We understand this employee may have been motivated by disappointment and hurt with Netflix, but maintaining a culture of trust and transparency is core to our company."

Earlier this week, Netflix suspended another transgender employee for allegedly trying to attend a meeting to which she was not invited.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos earlier this month sent out an internal email acknowledging that trans employees are upset over the Chappelle special, but he said that the company would not be removing it.

"We don't allow titles on Netflix that are designed to incite hate or violence, and we don't believe [the latest Chappelle special] crosses that line," he wrote. "I recognize, however, that distinguishing between commentary and harm is hard, especially with stand-up comedy which exists to push boundaries. Some people find the art of stand-up to be mean spirited but our members enjoy it, and it's an important part of our content offering."