Yahoo Movies Andrew Schulz to Self-Release Comedy Special After Refusing Streamer’s Demand to Edit Out ‘Wild’ Abortion Jokes
Comic Andrew Schulz will be self-releasing his upcoming comedy special, “Infamous,” after refusing an unnamed streamer’s demands to edit or cut out entire jokes, which he claims the platform deemed too “wild” and worried executives about online backlash.
Schulz, who released a four-part Netflix special in 2020 titled “Schulz Saves America,” said in a recent video posted to Instagram and Twitter that the streaming service “freaked out” upon receiving the finished cut of the stand-up set.
“Some of you probably know this about me, I’m a very stubborn guy, so long story short, I took my f—ing life savings and I bought my special back,” he told his followers. He then issued a plea to his fans to “spread the word,” saying it was up to them if the “gamble” pays off. “Pre-Order now and spread the word so my wife doesn’t divorce me,” he joked in another tweet.
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“I think people like real authentic comedy, and I think that they would prefer that than some watered down corporate boardroom bullshit,” he said, adding that people who attend his shows “seem to really enjoy these jokes that are ‘too offensive’ or could cause too much backlash.”
Since the announcement, Schulz has released two clips from the special — which will now debut July 17 and is available for preorder on the comedian’s website. In the first, he jokes about the sex life of a couple from the audience. In the second – which he prefaced with the message, “This is one of the lines they were worried about for the special” – he outlines the “f—ing carnival” that is an abortion clinic.
His 2020 Netflix special received criticism and backlash for its xenophobic and racist jokes directed at China and Chinese Americans for the coronavirus pandemic, a talking point of former president Donald Trump and a commonly cited pathway to anti-Asian hate crimes. Schulz is currently in production on a new Netflix comedy feature from Kenya Barris, starring opposite Jonah Hill, Nia Long, Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and David Duchovny.
A rep for Netflix did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
