An Uncomfortable Truth About Netflix Comedy Specials

Amy Schumer asked for more money, but is the almighty dollar really what she or Netflix should’ve been going for in the sake of equal pay progress?

​Netflix​ ​has​ ​never​ ​released​ ​an original​ ​comedy​ ​special​ ​by​ ​a​ ​black​ ​woman​ ​ever​ ​since they​ ​started​ ​booking​ ​them​ ​in​ ​2012.​ ​Only​ ​four​ ​specials​ ​by​ ​women​ ​of​ ​color​ ​have​ ​been produced​ ​in​ ​the​ ​five​ ​years​ ​since​ ​Netflix​ ​started​ ​producing​ ​original​ ​comedy​ ​specials:​ ​Cristela Alonzo,​ ​Ali​ ​Wong,​ ​Anjelah​ ​Johnson,​ ​and​ ​Sofia​ ​Niño​ ​de​ ​Rivera.​ ​To​ ​be​ ​clear,​ ​that​ ​is​ ​zero​ b​lack women​ ​and​ ​just​ ​four​ ​women​ ​of​ ​color​ ​out​ ​of​ ​91​ ​specials​ ​produced​ ​so​ ​far.

As​ ​​@Okayplayer​​ ​reported​ ​earlier​ ​this​ ​week,​ ​Amy​ ​Schumer​ ​asked​ ​for​ ​more​ ​money​ ​for​ ​her​ ​Netflix comedy​ ​special​ ​after​ ​learning​ ​that​ ​veterans​ ​Chris​ ​Rock​ ​and​ ​Dave​ ​Chappelle​ ​were​ ​offered​ ​about $9 million​ ​more​ ​than​ ​her​ ​for​ ​their​ ​comedy​ ​specials—​$20 million versus her $11 million.

While​ ​several​ ​media​ ​outlets​ ​have​ ​posited​ ​this​ ​as​ ​a​ ​kind​ ​of​ ​“rah​ ​rah​ ​girl​ ​power”​ ​moment​ ​for​ ​the comedienne,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​difficult​ ​for​ ​me​ ​to​ ​look​ ​at​ ​this​ ​issue​ ​without​ ​breaking​ ​down​ ​how​ ​much​ ​worse​ ​the pay​ ​and​ ​opportunity​ ​gap​ ​is​ ​for​ ​women​ ​of​ ​color​ ​in​ ​Hollywood.

Consider​ ​this:​ ​​Black​ ​Women’s​ ​Equal​ ​Pay​ ​Da​y​ ​was​ ​started​ ​to​ ​raise​ ​awareness​ ​of​ ​the​ ​fact​ ​that black​ ​women​ ​have​ ​to​ ​work​ ​a​ ​full​ ​​18​ ​months​​ ​to​ ​earn​ ​what​ ​white​ ​men​ ​make​ ​in​ ​a​ ​year.​ ​Yvette Nicole​ ​Brown,​ ​of NBC’s ​​​Community​ ​​and​ ​the​ ​upcoming​ ​comedy​ ​​The​ ​Mayor​,​ ​recently​ ​shared​ ​a​ ​story where​ ​she​ ​found​ ​out​ ​she​ ​was​ ​making​ ​little​ ​more​ ​than​ ​a​ ​white​ ​male​ ​guest​ ​star​ ​on​ ​a​ ​show​ ​where she​ ​was​ ​a​ ​series​ ​regular.

Consider ​​this:​​ Tiffany​​ Haddish,​​ recently​​ released​​ a ​​comedy ​​special ​​on ​​Showtime,​ S​​he​​Ready! From​ ​the​ ​Hood​ ​to​ ​Hollywood!​​ ​She​ ​has​ ​been​ ​grinding​ ​in​ ​the​ ​comedy​ ​world​ ​for​ ​years​ ​and​ ​starred in​ ​​The​ ​Real​ ​Husbands​ ​of​ ​Hollywood​​ ​and​ ​the​ ​recently​ ​canceled​ ​​The​ ​Carmichael​ ​Show​​ ​before being​ ​cast​ ​in​ ​the​ ​deliriously​ ​raunchy​ ​and​ ​hilarious​ ​movie​ ​of​ ​the​ ​summer,​ G​​irls​ ​Trip​.​ ​

By​ ​the​ ​way, Girls​ ​Trip​​ ​became​ ​the​ ​first​ ​comedy​ ​in​ ​2017​ ​to​ ​earn​ ​more​ ​than​ ​$100 million​,​ ​something​ ​​Baywatch​​ ​and Rough​ ​Night​ ​​failed​ ​to​ ​do.​ ​

Given​ ​her​ ​talent​ ​and​ ​the​ ​successful​ ​movies​ ​and​ ​TV​ ​shows​ ​she​ ​has played​ ​a​ ​huge​ ​part​ ​in,​ ​I’m​ ​curious​ ​to​ ​know​ ​what​ ​she​ ​earned​ ​for​ ​her​ ​Showtime​ ​special​ ​and​ ​if Netflix​ ​has​ ​any​ ​plans​ ​on​ ​offering​ ​her​ ​a​ ​comedy​ ​deal.​ ​I​ ​would​ ​hope​ ​that​ ​whatever​ ​she​ ​earned [from Showtime] was​ ​close​ ​to​ ​the​ ​​ ​$11 million, Amy ​Schumer​ ​was​ ​initially​ ​offered​ ​by​ ​Netflix.

Meanwhile,​ ​​Jerry​ ​Seinfield​ ​reportedly​ ​inked​ ​a​ ​$100 million​ ​deal​ ​for​ ​his​ ​Netflix​ ​comedy​ ​special.​ ​​If anything,​ ​one​ ​could​ ​argue​ ​that​ ​Chris​ ​Rock​ ​and​ ​Dave​ ​Chappelle​ s​​till​ ​​didn’t​ ​get​ ​what​ ​they were​ ​truly worth,​ ​given​ ​everything​ ​that​ ​these​ ​multi-hyphenate​ ​talents​ ​have​ ​accomplished​ ​during​ ​their decades-long​ ​careers.​ ​(​Black​ ​people​ ​have​ ​to​ ​fly​ ​to​ ​get​ ​to​ ​something​ ​white​ ​people​ ​can​ ​walk​ ​to.)

Equal​ ​pay​ ​remains​ ​a​ ​serious​ ​issue​ ​in​ ​Hollywood,​ ​and​ ​really,​ ​every​ ​industry.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​past​ ​time that​ ​we​ ​be​ ​more​ ​expansive​ ​in​ ​our​ ​thinking.​ ​Women​ ​of​ ​color​ ​and​ e​specially​​ ​black​ ​women,​ ​have an​ ​even​ ​harder​ ​path​ ​to​ ​navigate​ ​in​ ​Hollywood​ ​than​ ​the​ ​Amy​ ​Schumers​ ​of​ ​the​ ​world.​ ​Despite their​ ​proven​ ​talent​ ​and​ ​their​ ​hard​ ​work,​ ​they​ ​are​ ​rarely​ ​given​ ​the​ ​opportunity​ ​to​ ​develop​ ​Netflix specials​ ​or​ ​movie​ ​deals​ ​at​ ​all—​let​ ​alone​ ​have​ ​the​ ​leverage​ ​and​ ​privilege​ ​to​ ​negotiate​ ​more money.​ ​Now I​ ​won’t​ ​ever​ ​fault​ ​someone​ ​for​ ​trying​ ​to​ ​get​ ​their​ ​coins,​ ​but,​ ​to​ ​quote​ ​the​ ​poet​ ​laureate Yasiin​ ​Bey​ ​(FKA​ ​Mos​ ​Def),​ ​“Your​ ​grind​ ​and​ ​my​ ​grind​ ​ain’t​ ​the​ ​same,​ ​dog.”

Danielle A. Scruggs is a Chicago-based photographer and writer who runs the website Black Women Directors and is also the Director of Photography at the Chicago Reader, an award-winning alt-weekly newspaper. Follow her on Twitter at @dascruggs and view her site at daniellescruggs.com.