Netflix’s Ted Sarandos Says Trump Didn’t Pitch Him on Melania Documentary, Continues to Defend Dave Chappelle

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In December, Ted Sarandos, a co-CEO of Netflix, had a meeting with Donald Trump at his residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. However, as reported by Sarandos, they did not discuss business matters during their conversation.

Speaking at the Paley Center for Media in New York City on Friday, Sarandos mentioned that he had never previously met Trump. He described their encounter as a lengthy dinner they shared together.

In response to Ben Smith, the editor-in-chief of Semafor, inquiring about Donald Trump attempting to sell the rights for a documentary on his third wife, Melania (which was eventually acquired by Amazon), Ted Sarandos clarified that Trump did not make such an attempt. As for Trump’s affinity towards Netflix, Sarandos shared that while Trump might not be a fan himself, he acknowledged that Melania and their son Barron were avid viewers.

In the meantime, Smith questioned whether Amazon had paid too much for the Melania project. (Reports suggest that Amazon is spending $40 million on a film and documentary series about the former First Lady.) Sarandos admitted he wasn’t sure. “I haven’t watched it yet,” the Netflix CEO stated.

The talk with Sarandos transpired the day following Jennifer Salke’s departure from Amazon MGM Studios. Smith inquired about any issues at Amazon from Sarandos, who responded that he generally doesn’t give much thought to them. He clarified, “I don’t intend to be derogatory or haughty,” explaining that his focus is too divided among the numerous tasks at Netflix to closely monitor competitors. He advised his team, “If you keep glancing over your shoulder [at a competitor], you might stumble.

When asked if Netflix is changing its content strategy due to Trump’s second term, Sarandos replied that it won’t: “We plan to stick with our current programming.” In response to the film about Trump’s early years as a New York real estate mogul, titled “The Apprentice,” which many distributors declined, Sarandos commented, “I thought it was a decent movie, but there are around 10,000 movies submitted to Sundance annually.” The choice to acquire a project, according to him, largely depends on the cost compared to its potential audience.

In another part of the conversation, Sarandos expressed his unwavering support for collaborating with comedian Dave Chappelle, who faced backlash over his transphobic remarks in his Netflix comedy special “The Closer.” This controversy even led to some employees at the company staging a walkout. Furthermore, he justified Netflix’s choice to commission three specials from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, whose joke about Puerto Ricans during a Trump rally last fall sparked a significant media uproar.

Sarandos stated that there are no simple decisions, as they’re based on the foundations of freedom of speech and freedom of expression.

Ted Sarandos likened Chappelle to trailblazing comics like Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, and Richard Pryor in terms of pushing boundaries. He emphasized that Chappelle belongs to that elite group… undeniably among the best at their craft. “He’s one of the greatest comedians of our era,” Sarandos stated.

As per Sarandos’ viewpoint, stand-up comedians require a “secure environment to experiment” and he emphasized that this art form is greatly influenced by the audience. He added: “It’s impossible to claim something isn’t funny when 18,000 people find it amusing. You can express that it offends you or causes pain, but you can’t say it’s not funny.

Sarandos has been a part of Netflix for a full quarter-century; it’s worth mentioning that the day he started with the company is March 27th.

In the extensive chat, Ted Sarandos touched on topics he often discusses. He confirmed again that Netflix has no intentions of acquiring full-season sports rights, but is enthusiastic about broadcasting special events such as global NFL Christmas Day games. Moreover, he reaffirmed his disinterest in becoming the CEO of Disney. Sarandos also reminisced about Netflix’s shift from DVD to streaming, sharing an instance where high-ranking officials ceased inviting the DVD team to corporate gatherings.

Moreover, Sarandos stated that if given another chance, he would negotiate a deal for the movie “Emilia Pérez,” which caused controversy due to its lead actress, Karla Sofía Gascón, and her past inflammatory and discriminatory tweets. He described the film as visually captivating and bold – exactly the qualities one hopes for in a movie.

Currently, Netflix is experiencing great success. In the fourth quarter of 2024, they delivered impressive outcomes, which triggered multiple upgrades in stock evaluations from Wall Street analysts. One commentator even stated, “This is what triumph looks like.

Netflix added approximately twice as many new global subscribers than anticipated by analysts, totalling 18.9 million, bringing their total to 301.6 million. In addition, they announced price increases in significant markets such as the U.S., and even on their ad-supported basic plan, indicating their strong control over pricing. Netflix increased its revenue forecast for 2025 to be between $43.5 billion and $44.5 billion, a rise of $500 million from the previous projection, and aims for an operating margin of 29%, which is one percentage point higher than previously predicted.

Netflix’s Ted Sarandos Continues to Shake Up Hollywood: Conquering the Streaming Battlefield, Clashing with Marvel Over Content Creation, and Standing by Meghan Markle

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2025-03-28 23:17