'Beef' Star David Choe Is Under Fire For A Controversial Old Podcast Story & He Called It 'Art'
"Though I said those words, I did not commit those actions."
David Choe in Beef.
David Choe, one of the stars of the hit Netflix series Beef, is facing backlash over a 2014 podcast in which he told a story about rape.
This article contains graphic content that might not be suitable for some readers.
In the podcast, Choe told a story about engaging in what he called “rapey behaviour” with a massage therapist named Rose, Gawker reported at the time. The podcast is no longer available, but clips from it have gone viral recently amid Choe's success with Beef, and now there are calls for him to be removed from the show.
Choe claimed in the podcast that he performed sexual acts in front of the massage therapist and forced her to take part as well, despite her saying no. He later retracted his statement and claimed it was a made-up story.
"You're basically telling us that you're a rapist now," podcast co-host Asa Akira said during his story.
"Yeah," he said, adding that he is a "successful rapist."
Choe referred to the experience as an “erection quest,” during which he claimed he forced the massage therapist to perform sexual acts.
“The thrill of possibly going to jail," Choe said, is "what achieved the erection quest.”
He went on to justify his behaviour by saying, “She said yes with her eyes,” according to an excerpt from the podcast published by Gawker.
"I just want to make it clear that I admit that that's rapey behaviour, but I am not a rapist," Choe said.
However, Choe has denied any truth to the story, calling it an “extension of my art.”
In a 2014 statement on the now-defunct DVDASA podcast website, Choe said, “I never thought I’d wake up one late afternoon and hear myself called a rapist," per BuzzFeed. "It sucks. Especially because I am not one. I am not a rapist. I hate rapists.”
He also clarified that the podcast was “art that sometimes offends people” and that the stories he shared were not factual.
Choe is a successful graffiti artist and has been criticized for the podcast's content in the past. He apologized again in 2017 after someone wrote "rapist" over one of his works.
"I relayed a story simply for shock value that made it seem as if I had sexually violated a woman," he wrote at the time. "Though I said those words, I did not commit those actions. It did not happen."
Despite Choe’s denial, many social media users are now calling for his removal from Beef.
Choe has not addressed the latest round of controversy around his past comments.
Netflix and Beef stars Ali Wong and Steven Yeun also have not addressed it, per CBS News. Akira has not commented either.
Several clips from the podcast have been taken down from Twitter amid copyright claims. Variety reports that Choe appears to have filed those claims.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual assault, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or consult RAINN's website. If you need immediate assistance, please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital. Support is available.