Podcaster claims Hulu’s Chippendales series ripped her off: ‘Troubling’
Hulu limited series of using exclusive reporting from her Spotify podcast without citation or payment.In an interview with The New York Times published Friday, Petrzela explained that she believes that content from her podcast, “Welcome to your Fantasy,” was used for Kumail Nanjiani’s “Welcome to Chippendales.”Petrzela further told The Post on Saturday that she is “troubled by the close similarities” between the two projects.“From story structure to certain characters and plot details to the almost identical title, which understandably led many to believe, mistakenly, that I was involved in the creation of the television adaptation,” Petrzela emailed The Post.“I am glad this case is being reported because it raises important questions about attribution and creative ethics, especially when reporting nonfiction.”The Post reached out to Spotify, Hulu, and Nanjiani’s reps for comment.Petrzela’s 2021 podcast, which was co-produced by Gimlet Media and Pineapple Street Studios, told the story of Somen “Steve” Banerjee, the late founder of the all-male revue Chippendales.The nine-episode series explored Banerjee’s rise and fall before his 1994 suicide ahead of sentencing for pleading guilty to arson, racketeering and murder-for-hire charges.Banerjee had hired Nick De Noia to help him manage the business, but after a bad deal, Banerjee became angry with De Noia and wanted to have him killed.“It was forbidden for dancers to take money for sex but some did,” Petrzela told The Post in a 2021 interview about Chippendales. “I heard of guys making $300 to $1,500 for encounters.”Petrzela worked on the Spotify series with Dr.