David Choe, an American painter and graffiti artist, is currently at the center of a controversy over his alleged past behavior. The controversy involves comments made by Choe during a podcast in 2014 where he joked about being a rapist. Recently, these comments resurfaced and led to criticism from some social media users.
In response to the controversy, the creators and stars of the Netflix series “Beef,” which features Choe, have defended him. Lee Sung Jin, the show’s creator, as well as actors Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, all acknowledged the hurtful and disturbing nature of Choe’s comments but stated that he had since “put in the work” to improve himself.
Feminist blogger Jenn Fang, however, has criticized the response of the “Beef” team, calling on them to engage with the discourse surrounding the controversy. Meanwhile, some media outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter have criticized the “Beef” team for their initial silence on the matter.
Choe rose to fame after painting murals at Facebook’s first headquarters in exchange for stock options, which later turned out to be worth millions. He has also worked on projects with major brands such as Nike and Levi’s.
Despite the controversy surrounding him, Choe’s art continues to be highly sought after. One of his works sold for over $16 million in a 2018 auction. Choe has not publicly commented on the current controversy surrounding him.
