The creators and stars of Netflix and A24’s hit comedy-drama, Beef, are standing behind co-star David Choe. The actor came under fire over a 2014 episode of his now-defunct “DVDASA” podcast in which he made light of sexually assaulting a woman while receiving a massage service.
Beef became an instant hit following its debut earlier this month. However, fandom quickly turned into backlash after BuzzFeed News released an article in which Choe recalled relieving himself in front of his masseuse before forcing her to perform oral sex on him. Since the incident, The Last Dinosaur of the Congo host has denied the story’s validity despite declaring himself “a successful rapist” during the very-detailed telling of the graphic encounter.
Ahead of the weekend, show creator Lee Sung Jin and executive producers and stars Steven Yeun and Ali Wong released a joint statement to Variety, echoing their cast member’s earlier claims that the story was “fabricated.”
They described the controversy as “undeniably hurtful and extremely disturbing.” However, they felt Choe had “put in the work to get the mental health support he needed.” In their release, the group made it clear that they “do not condone this story in any way” and “understand why this has been so upsetting and triggering.”
They continued, “We’re aware David has apologized in the past for making up this horrific story, and we’ve seen him put in the work to get the mental health support he needed over the last decade to better himself and learn from his mistakes.”
Choe’s most recent acknowledgment of the situation came during a 2021 sit down with The New York Times’ Edmund Lee, in which he spoke about the fallout, noting he had reached a low point in his life and “wanted out.” However, he continued to deny the incident stating that “it was strangely comforting to be so despised.” He added, “It matched how I felt about myself for the first time.”