‘Beef’ Continues To Be Haunted By Podcast Episodes From 2014
The 'Beef' drama has escalated.
A week after learning that Beef actor David Choe was on a 2014 podcast where he told a story about sexually assaulting a massage therapist, the show’s leads have put out a statement, and more disturbing podcast audio has entered the fray.
— Content warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual assault. —
You may have heard that one of the stars of Beef, A24’s new celebrated new TV series starring Ali Wong and Steven Yeun, is copping some flack. David Choe, who plays Isaac on the show, recently gained attention for a 2014 podcast episode in which he recalls masturbating while having a massage and forcing the massage therapist to perform oral sex. In the clip, he also jokes about not being a “successful rapist.” Later that year, he issued a statement declaring that he was “not a rapist” and simply a purveyor of “bad storytelling in the style of douche”.
Whether the story was real or played for (fucked-up) laughs, the point remains: Beef had hired and paid an actor with a clear misogyny problem. As backlash gained traction online, folks began putting pressure on the show’s leads, Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, to explain why Choe was cast in the first place. We didn’t hear much from the two stars until Friday, when the actors issued a statement about what had occurred in Variety.
“The story David Choe fabricated nine years ago is undeniably hurtful and extremely disturbing”, they wrote. “We do not condone this story in any way, and we understand why this has been so upsetting and triggering. We’re aware David has apologised 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.”
But things didn’t end there. Over the weekend, Twitter user Aura Bogado tweeted: “Steven Yeun knew about David Choe’s [podcast comments]. He was also a guest on two episodes. In one of those episodes, Yeun is heard laughing when Choe talks about his fantasy of being tied up while his girlfriend is raped.”
In the 2014 clip, Choe is yukking it up with Yeun about a scene in The Walking Dead involving his character’s girlfriend, Maggie (Lauren Cohan). “So the thing I wanted to ask you was, yeah, so I forgot if it was last season or the season before. It’s ’cause you guys do the mid-season breaks,” Choe can be heard saying. “Is the scene where you get tortured? Like, what the fuck? There was a scene where you and your girlfriend on the show get captured at the same time, and you’re in the next room.”
“Like listening to her potentially getting raped,” Yeun clarifies, to which Choe replies, “Yeah, exactly… I mean, that is my number one… fantasy. So, like, that was hot.” To really bring the point home, he adds: “Let’s just say it happened in real life. So I tie myself up, and I can’t move. And then I call someone to come rape my girlfriend.”
“Oh, you’re a cuckold?” interjects a woman. “Yeah. I cuckold myself,” Choe answers as Yeun can be heard laughing in the background.
Steven Yeun knew about David Choe’s DVDASA. He was also a guest on two episodes. In one of those episodes, Yeun is heard laughing when Choe talks about his fantasy of being tied up while his girlfriend is raped. pic.twitter.com/HpEGHSQOZB
— Aura Bogado (@aurabogado) April 22, 2023
So, what’s next? Will Steven Yeun declare that he too is getting the “mental health support” he’s needed? Will audio soon be released of Ali Wong laughing along with Steven Yeun? Will we all conclude that no one can be held responsible for what anyone said in the year of 2014?
We’re not yet sure, but to riff on a quote from Bong Joon-Ho: this whole thing is a reminder that we essentially all live in the same country, called misogyny.
Photo credit: JC Olivera / Getty Images