David Choe Did Not Need To Play Isaac In ‘Beef’

Only a few weeks since the series debuted on Netflix, Beef has gone from a widely-acclaimed critical success to a topic of heated contention. 

— Content warning: This post contains descriptions of sexual assault. — 

Clips from a 2014 podcast gained attention online over the weekend, where Beef actor David Choe tells a disturbing story. On the podcast, Choe recalls masturbating during a massage session and forcing the massage therapist to perform oral sex. Choe also jokes about being a “successful rapist”. Later that year, he issued a statement that he was “not a rapist”. Rather, he was an artist and storyteller, and was guilty of “bad storytelling in the style of douche”.

There are really only two possible scenarios, here: either Choe was telling the truth on the podcast and decided to go for the old “it’s just a prank, bro” cover, or it really was just a prank, bro. If the story is true, then Choe is a rapist. If the story was an exercise in creative storytelling, it’s a textbook example of rape culture and the normalisation of rape and misogyny as a “joke”. Indeed, his 2014 statement doubled down on this sentiment, explaining that he was “sorry if anyone believed that the stories were fact. They were not!”. Well, phew!

Perhaps if Choe issued an apology now, it would make a stronger effort to apologise for joking about sexual assault at all. After all, that was way back in 2014. Instead, Choe has taken a different approach, removing the podcast clips from Twitter with a copyright strike. Interesting choice.

There’s a lot that’s still being uncovered about this whole shitstorm. Ali Wong’s gone private on Twitter, Steven Yeun isn’t really active anyway. Choe’s affiliation with chef David Chang, who boasts his own problematic history, is resurfacing. People who have known Choe are speaking out about his reputation and behaviour.

It’s more complicated than it should be because Beef was such a milestone for genuine Asian representation. The journey from unsexy Asian dorks to Asian himbos, or from Crazy Rich Asians to rich and poor crazy Asians has been a rollercoaster, to say the least. And David Choe’s portrayal of Danny’s sketchy cousin Isaac is a part of what makes the show as great as it is. But surely there are other Korean actors that could’ve fit the bill. John Cho can pull anything off. Daniel Kim might be a little too chiseled, but I’d buy it.

David Choe’s real-life history exposes an uncomfortable truth about South Korean culture, which continues to contain some deeply embedded misogyny. That being said, we can’t necessarily attribute Choe’s behaviour to his ethnicity — after all, he was born and raised in the US, home to its own trademark brand of sexism.

In any case, Choe’s behaviour reminds us that not all elements of Korean culture are as palatable as an episode of slick TV. Whether we’re ready for that conversation remains to be seen.