Raphael Bob-Waksberg releases a cut BoJack joke about David Fincher for charity
The BoJack Horseman creator was critiquing Netflix's ongoing and vocal support for comedian Dave Chappelle
There are many good reasons to donate to charity: Genuine altruism, tax reasons, a sudden spikes of withered conscience emerging from the depths of a lifelong void of meaninglessness. But we’ve always been partial to any charitable gesture that can both a) generate some good in the world, and, b), toss a poke toward people doing bad. If we get some extra content about a sad cartoon horse in the process, more the better.
Hence our enjoyment of a recent charitable push from BoJack Horseman creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg, who informed his followers that he’d post the script for a cut scene from the show—making some not especially pointed fun of director David Fincher—if 100 people sent him proof that they’d donated money to Trans Lifeline, a group that provides support to trans people, including a crisis hotline.
The impetus for this impromptu fundraising came from Bob-Waksberg’s musings on the double standard Netflix has adopted as part of its continued and vocal support of comedian Dave Chappelle. (The streamer recently announced that Chappelle, who came under considerable fire in recent months for transphobic material in his various Netflix comedy specials, including The Closer, would serve as the headliner for its inaugural Netflix comedy festival.)
Bob-Waksberg pointed out that, for all of Ted Sarandos’ stirring defense of complete artistic freedom, Netflix once told BoJack it couldn’t do a particular joke because “they were worried it might upset David Fincher.” Hence the proposition: 100 donators to a trans support organization, and said joke (which actually turned out to be a whole short scene, from the show’s first season) would be revealed. Just a few hours later, the task was complete, and the scene revealed.
Now, as Bob-Waksberg himself admits, this isn’t necessarily the heights of lost BoJack treasure; it comes from early in the show’s first season when “we were still getting out some kinks as far as tone and process.” (Also, Mindhunter wasn’t out at that point, so Netflix was presumably being preemptively cautious about annoying Fincher.) (Bob-Waksberg also admits that Netflix might just not have found a very old, somewhat meta Seven gag all that funny.) That being said: There are worse reasons to dig out your old screenplays than to encourage people to donate to a good cause, especially one that your corporate overlords have been decidedly ambivalent about showing support for.