The controversy involving Beef actor David Choe has been addressed by the creator and stars of the hit Netflix series. In the series, Choe plays Isaac Cho, a recently released prisoner and the cousin of Steven Yeun’s Danny Cho. Behind the scenes, Choe also provided the artwork for nine of the ten episodes’ title cards.
When the series was released on Netflix, there had been some backlash on social media over Choe’s involvement. This was due to resurfaced comments made by the actor and artist on a podcast in 2014. Speaking with DVDASA co-host Asa Akira, Choe told a story about sexually assaulting a massage therapist, joking that this made him a “successful rapist.” Soon after, he clarified in a statement that the story wasn’t true, saying it was “tasteless” storytelling done in an effort to “provoke” the co-stars of his podcast.
“It’s a dark, tasteless, completely irreverent show where we f*** with everyone listening, but mostly ourselves,” Choe said in part in his statement at the time. “We create stories and tell tales… I’m sorry if anyone believed that the stories were fact. They were not! In a world full of horrible people, thank god for us.”
In a separate statement released in 2017, Choe said he had since undergone “three years of recovery and rehabilitation” as he reflected on his comments. He reiterated that the story he told on the podcast was “simply for shock value” and stressed that it was a fabricated story, again apologizing for his words and now agreeing that sexual assault is not a topic that should ever be joked about.
“I am deeply sorry for any hurt I’ve brought to anyone through my past words,” he said. “Non-consensual sex is rape and it is never funny or appropriate to joke about. I was a sick person at the height of my mental illness, and have spent the last 3 years in mental health facilities healing myself and dedicating my life to helping and healing others through love and action.”
Related: Beef’s Creator Lee Sung Jin Has Already Mapped Out More Seasons of the Hit Series
The Beef Team Responds
Netflix
Beef creator Lee Sung Jin has now offered a response to the casting backlash, joining stars Steven Yeun and Ali Wong in releasing a statement to Vanity Fair. The joint statement acknowledges the “disturbing” nature of the story Choe told on his podcast in 2014. However, the three also have observed how Choe has apologized multiple times in the past over these comments with great work into learning from his mistakes to become a better person.
The statement reads, “The story David Choe fabricated nine years ago is undeniably hurtful and extremely disturbing. We do not condone this story in any way, and we understand why this has been so upsetting and triggering. We’re aware David has apologized in the past for making up this horrific story, and we’ve seen him put in the work to get the mental health support he needed over the last decade to better himself and learn from his mistakes.”
Beef is streaming on Netflix.
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