Actor and writer Wil Wheaton strongly condemned Netflix's decision to have Dave Chappelle headline an upcoming comedy festival, saying he was "[a]bsolutely disgusted" by the company's choice.
"Every single comedian who is on this bill should withdraw unless and until this despicable bigot is uninvited," Wheaton wrote on Facebook after Monday's announcement from the streaming channel. He also referred to Chappelle a "piece of s**t" for making transphobic jokes in his recent Netflix special The Closer.
The post, which has since been removed, also said: "And f**k EVERYONE at Netflix who is a part of this. Trans rights are human rights and words matter."
Wheaton is a popular blogger, known for his commentary on various issues posted on WilWheaton.net and on social media. He's also published a variety of fiction, including short stories and the 2017 novella Dead Trees Give No Shelter.
To many sci-fi fans, Wheaton is beloved for portraying the character Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Before that, he first came to national prominence for a lead role in the 1986 film Stand by Me, based on a Stephen King novella.
Other notable screen credits for Wheaton include the Robin Williams film Flubber, Toy Soldiers, and appearances on TV shows like The Big Bang Theory, Leverage and Eureka. He's also done voice acting for Teen Titans, Cosmic Boy and the Legion of Super Heroes.
His voice work hasn't been limited to the screen, as he also narrated the audio books for Ready Player One and Ready Player Two.
Wheaton's statue in the pop culture community even saw him being fictionalized in the comic book PS 238, where he was given the power of telekinesis.
Though the years, the multifaceted entertainer has openly discussed having generalized anxiety disorder and chronic depression, and he has worked to raise awareness for such conditions by supporting mental health nonprofit organizations.
After deleting his original Facebook post regarding Chappelle and Netflix, Wheaton wrote another, much lengthier message. The Tuesday post discussed his own youthful transgressions.
"For much of my teen years, I was embarrassingly homophobic, and it all started with that comedy special," Wheaton said, referencing controversial material about the gay community in Eddie Murphy's Delirious.
"A comedian who I thought was one of the funniest people on the planet totally normalized making a mockery of gay people, and because I was a privileged white kid, raised by privileged white parents, there was nobody around me to challenge that perception," Wheaton's post continued. "For much of my teen years, I was embarrassingly homophobic, and it all started with that comedy special."
Wheaton then spoke of using a homophobic term around a group of gay men, which left him feeling deeply ashamed later.
"That happened over 30 years ago, and I think about it all the time. I'm mortified and embarrassed and so regretful that I said such a hurtful thing," Wheaton wrote before apologizing to the unnamed people he offended.
In describing his attack of Chappelle, Wheaton said, "Literally every queer person I know (and I know a LOT) is hurt by Chapelle's actions."
Chappelle is scheduled to headline the Hollywood Bowl as part of the Netflix Is a Joke Festival, which will feature 130 artists performing at 25 venues from April 28 through May 8.
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