Leave it to Chris Rock to try something risky on a global stage.
“Chris Rock is about to make history as the first artist to perform LIVE on Netflix!” the service tweeted Thursday, adding that the special will be streamed globally early in 2023.
“Chris Rock is one of the most iconic and important comedic voices of our generation,” Netflix Vice President of Stand-up and Comedy Formats Robbie Praw said in a press release.
“We’re thrilled the entire world will be able to experience a live Chris Rock comedy event and be a part of Netflix history. This will be an unforgettable moment and we’re so honored that Chris is carrying this torch.”
In 2018, Rock delivered his “Tamborine” comedy special for Netflix, along with an extended cut — “Total Blackout: The Tamborine” — in 2021 that delivered an additional half-hour of the routine.
Netflix is a force in comedy, sponsoring the massive “Netflix Is a Joke: The Festival” that featured almost 300 stand-up sets over the course of 12 days in late April and early May 2022.
Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias headlined the festival with an unprecedented two-night stand at Dodger Stadium that was recorded for the 2022 Netflix special “Stadium Fluffy.”
Rock has been on the road for a good bit of this year. The comedian’s Ego Death World Tour 2022 began in late March, days after he was assaulted while presenting at the Oscars. And Rock and comic Dave Chappelle, who is also among Netflix’s top comedy draws, teamed up to do a handful of live shows in California in late 2022.