Published on March 20, 2024, 12:48 am

It has been six years since Hannah Gadsby, a stand-up comedian from Tasmania, leaped into global fame. Her first Netflix special, “Nanette,” gathered rave reviews not for its comedic brilliance but for its political narrative. After presenting self-deprecating humor for the first 20 minutes, Gadsby pivoted sharply, informing her audience that she would no longer degrade herself. This decision, according to Gadsby, was grounded in her refusal to perpetuate material anchored in self-hatred and internalized homophobia. She subsequently embarked on an intense and somber monologue about instances when she had faced discrimination and even assault by men. In her narrative, men were painted as inherent predators from which she had endured immeasurable pain.

While critics hailed this unique approach as revolutionary with “Nanette” scoring a perfect 100 on Rotten Tomatoes review platform, most Netflix subscribers – only one out of four – deemed the show worthwhile. The success of this special created a devoted following among viewers who resonated with Gadsby’s political views leading to the release of her second special “Douglas” (2020). The performance was not marked for its humor but rather the outpouring support for the feminist icon delivering it.

In somewhat unpredicted move, Netflix aired another comedy special titled “The Closer” by popular comedian Dave Chappelle in 2021. This stirred controversy given Chappelle’s satirical commentary on delicate subjects such as referring to Caitlyn Jenner receiving a “Woman of the Year” award as absurd and supporting J.K. Rowling’s stance against categorizing “trans women” as women. Despite concluding his performance with a compassionate story about a trans woman he knew who committed suicide presumably hoping to appease offended viewers; it wasn’t sufficient. The outrage came from LGBTQ+ community labelers accusing both Chapelle and Netflix of insensitivity.

Gadsby too weighed in on this dispute, criticizing Netflix for airing Chapelle’s special and chastising Sarandos (Netflix executive) for dragging her into the controversy by citing her as an illustration of Netflix’s commitment to diversity. However, Gadsby and Netflix mended their relationship before long leading to the release of another Gadsby produced series “Something Special”. In interviews, Gadsby defended her continued association with Netflix by stating that the company had evolved.

Her latest offering is presented as evidence of this claimed reform. Titled “Gender Agenda”, hosted by Gadsby and featuring seven comics, none of whom appear to have been chosen for their talent but rather their affirmation of established orthodoxies. In her opening remarks, she praises them as “fabulous and diverse genderqueer performers”, raising questions about the term “genderqueer” which seems to be used liberally here in a broader sense including individuals who were previously categorized as lesbians or homosexuals.

On one hand, while a groundswell of adulation from fans was witnessed throughout the show – likely due to their explicit accord with its agenda-driven narrative; it also incited criticism particularly against its continuous bashing of whites, Christians, bio-men and women (cisgender), evidencing an unabated hostility towards these demographics.

In summary, despite its categorization as comedy show, it hardly elicited laughter but rather came across as an effort at socio-political conditioning pandering to ideologies propagated by those refusing to recognize biological gender norms. Netflix labeled “Gender Agenda” ‘irreverent’, however upon careful scrutiny it appears more akin a gathering of staunch believers in a pseudo-religious movement predicated on challenging age-old perceptions about gender.