New Netflix and A24 series SteakIt has become a viral sensation since it premiered all 10 episodes on April 6 starring Ali Wong and Steven Yeun. The comedy-drama about a road rage incident garnered a lot of praise for its lead performances and portrayal of the show. church culture and even a Hoobastank needle drop. However, a resurfaced podcast clip featuring one of: Steakco-stars, David Choe, cast a shadow over the hit series. And recent efforts to delete the video from social media are making fans even more upset.
Last Thursday, reporter Aura Bogado shared now removed video Choe, who plays Isaac Steakon his old podcast DVDASAdescribes himself as a “successful rapist”. In his 2014 tape, he details a Black woman whom he named co-hosts “Rose” when he masturbated in front of her and forced her to have oral sex.
“He’s absolutely not interested,” he says in the clip, now 46. “But it doesn’t stop him either. I say, ‘Kiss me a little,’ he says, ‘No, it’s all over the massage oil,’ and I grab the back of his head. And I press my dick and he doesn’t do it. I say, ‘Open your mouth, open your mouth,’ and he does it.” And I started to fuck her face with it.
In the video Bogado has since reposted TikTokPorn actress Asa Akira, one of the hosts of the podcast, opposes Choe’s sad claims. “You’re basically telling us that you’re a rapist right now and that rape is the only way to harden your dick,” she says. “Yes,” Choe replies.
This isn’t the first time Choe, a popular graffiti artist from New York, has appeared first with Vice, CNN, HBO, Hulu, and FX. Steakwas summoned for his offensive remarks. After initially getting backlash for her podcast episode in 2014, she made a statement about it. DVDASA‘s website (no longer active) claims that the story is actually false.
“If I’m guilty of anything, it’s bad storytelling in the shower style,” he wrote. “The same goes for my exhibition, as many of my paintings are often misinterpreted.” He went on to say that the joke “is not a representation”. [his] reality.”
“I apologize if anyone believes the stories are true,” he wrote. “They weren’t!”
In 2017, she wrote another lengthy post on Instagram claiming “ZERO sexual assault history” about the clip.
in the past days SteakIn addition to Bogado, many Twitter users rediscovered the offending podcast track and others; Posted by Brooklyn host Nitty Scott. Meanwhile, Canadian restaurateur and author Jen Agg tweeted That Choe knew “it’s been shit for ages”.
Quite glaringly, no one representing the show, including Choe, has responded to the resurgence. Twitter users also commented on Wong, who is friends with Choe and plays Amy. SteakLately Twitter locked his account. (Daily Beast reached out to Netflix and A24 representatives for comment.)
The conversation about the controversial artist escalated again on Sunday as users noticed that their tweet about the podcast clip had been removed from Twitter. Author Meecham Whitson Meriweather tweeted He said his account was locked after he shared Choe’s recording. Bogado also issued a DMCA notice Retrieved from Twitter Support after removing the post “for copyright reasons”.
According to the screenshots, the owner of the video is the David Young Choe Foundation. Additionally, a audio file of podcast episode Content uploaded to Google Drive by author Melissa Stetten has been removed for violating the site’s terms of service.
Not surprisingly, these prohibitive measures only caused a Streisand Effect on social media. In the last 24 hours, Twitter users, including critics and other verified accounts, have taken Netflix, A24, and others. Steak– including Wong and Yeun, who are executive producers – to recruit Choe despite his past allegations. In addition to playing the previously incarcerated cousin of Yeun’s protagonist, Danny, on the show, Choe also provided illustrations for the episode’s title cards.
While all parties have been slow to respond to the scandal, Choe’s past comments don’t look so good, especially for A24. The independent film and television company came under fire a few weeks ago after Variety reported sexual harassment allegations against Sebastian Bear-McClard, co-producer of Safdie Brothers films. Good time And Uncut Stones. Lately rolling rock Sam Levinson reports alleged disturbing details about upcoming HBO show IdolA co-production with A24, the Oscar-winning buzz also put the studio in a negative light.
Overall, the controversy surrounding Choe comes as a disappointment given her overwhelming success. Steak, as a show created and starred by Asians. But the show’s creators’ silence has sparked a heated debate online about how much we value representation on issues like sexual assault.