Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby blasted Netflix Inc. Co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos for being included in the company’s defense of Dave Chappelle’s new special amid growing backlash against the comedian and the streaming platform.

Ms. Gadsby, whose highly praised 2018 special “Nanette” and 2020 special “Douglas” both streamed on Netflix, called out Mr. Sarandos after Variety published an internal memo from Mr. Sarandos that cited Ms. Gadsby as an example of how the company seeks to elevate the voices of marginalized communities.

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Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby blasted Netflix Inc. Co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos for being included in the company’s defense of Dave Chappelle’s new special amid growing backlash against the comedian and the streaming platform.

Ms. Gadsby, whose highly praised 2018 special “Nanette” and 2020 special “Douglas” both streamed on Netflix, called out Mr. Sarandos after Variety published an internal memo from Mr. Sarandos that cited Ms. Gadsby as an example of how the company seeks to elevate the voices of marginalized communities.

“Hey Ted Sarandos! Just a quick note to let you know that I would prefer if you didn’t drag my name into your mess,” Ms. Gadsby wrote in an Instagram post early Friday. “Now I have to deal with even more of the hate and anger that Dave Chapelle’s fans like to unleash on me.”

“You didn’t pay me nearly enough to deal with the real world consequences of the hate speech dog whistling you refuse to acknowledge, Ted,” Ms. Gadsby added.

Representatives for Netflix and Ms. Gadsby didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Ms. Gadsby’s criticism is the latest levied against Mr. Sarandos following his defense of Mr. Chappelle’s latest special “The Closer,” which debuted on the platform last week. The special has been criticized for being offensive toward the transgender community.

In the special, Mr. Chappelle said “gender is a fact” and referred to himself as a “TERF,” an acronym that stands for “trans-exclusionary radical feminist.” He went on to say the transgender community wasn’t a fan of his, adding, “Someone told me, ‘They after you, Dave,’ and I said, ‘One they or many theys?’”

He also was critical of how the trans community has responded to his previous specials as well as for attacking other artists who have made comments or expressed opinions that have been criticized by the LGBTQ community. “Stop punching down on my people,” Mr. Chappelle said at the conclusion of “The Closer.”

The special sparked tension at Netflix. A Netflix transgender-employee group is now encouraging staff members to participate in a walkout next week to protest Mr. Sarandos’s defense of the special.

Terra Field, a Netflix software engineer who is transgender, criticized Mr. Chappelle on Twitter, saying the comedian targeted “the trans community, and the very validity of transness.”

The National Black Justice Coalition asked Netflix to take the special down. In a statement on Twitter, GLAAD said misinformation and stereotypes about LGBTQ people in film and television leads to “real world harm, especially for trans people & LGBTQ people of color.”

Earlier this week, Mr. Sarandos said in a companywide email the streaming platform wouldn’t take down the special, saying he didn’t believe the special incited violence.

Netflix executives have noted that the company has been very proactive in creating content for the LGTBQ community and working with diverse performers. Shows it has made featuring LGTBQ performers include “Sense8,” “Orange Is the New Black,” “Sex Education” and “Control Z.” It also has a development deal with transgender producer Janet Mock.

Netflix historically has stood in contrast to traditional studios and networks, where it has previously been rare for employees to question content decisions—much less take to social media to negatively criticize those choices. At Netflix, radical candor and transparency have been encouraged within the company’s hallways and meetings, while the company has also not encouraged staffers to take their concerns outside the walls of the streaming giant.

Write to Jennifer Calfas at jennifer.calfas@wsj.com and Joe Flint at Joe.Flint@WSJ.com