Thread by @WeiTsay

‘BEEF’ is one of the best shows I’ve seen… ever. But as much as I loved the show, I can't talk about it without addressing David Choe. Video of a 2014 conversation has resurfaced which shows David telling the story of how he forced a Black masseuse to perform sexual acts on him.

David fantasized about “the thrill of possibly going to jail” and he called himself “a successful rapist.”

In a 2017 statement, David said the story was fabricated and he has zero history of sexual assault.

Even *if* the story was made up, the fact that David so casually fantasized about going to jail and openly discussed assaulting a Black woman is shameful and rooted in anti-Blackness.

Systemic racism and oppression have caused Black and Brown men to be disproportionately imprisoned compared to other racial/ethnic groups. And Black and Brown women are more likely to be sexually assaulted.

In a joint statement, Lee Sung Jin, Steven Yeun, and Ali Wong said that David has apologized and “put in the work to get the mental health support he needed over the last decade to better himself and learn from his mistakes.”

I believe in second chances but forgiveness and redemption only come after you’ve done right by the community you’ve harmed. What has David done for Black women and sexual assault survivors to show his repentance and respect for them? Actions speak louder than words.

I feel for anyone who was part of or supported this show without knowledge of David’s past. For rising actors like Young Mazino and Remy Holt who gave stellar performances but now find their hit show overshadowed by conversations about rape.

For everyone who worked so hard to make this show, with a mostly Asian cast, successful. For our Asian community who’ve fought for so long to be seen and understood.

I hope there is a future for ‘BEEF’ and more shows like it. But I also feel a responsibility to condemn David’s disregard for Black women, sexual consent, and accountability.

It’s okay to ask for more *and* better representation… we deserve both.

#VeryAsian