An upcoming Netflix documentary about the early years of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is slated for March 20, 2026. But as of February 1, the band has released a statement clarifying their role in the documentary. According to the Instagram post, the feature is being marketed as an official RHCP documentary. But the band is adamant that it’s not.
“[A]bout a year ago, we were asked to be interviewed for a documentary about Hillel Slovak. He was a founding member of the group, a great guitarist, and friend,” the statement begins. “We agreed to be interviewed out of love and respect for Hillel and his memory.”
The post continued, “However, this documentary is now being advertised as a Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary, which it is not. We had nothing to do with it creatively. We have yet to make a Red Hot Chili Peppers documentary.”
The documentary The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers focuses mainly on Hillel Slovak’s influence as the founding guitarist. Slovak died of a heroin overdose in 1988 at 26 years old. Subsequently, the shock of this led frontman Anthony Kiedis to sobriety.
Red Hot Chili Peppers Share Statement to Clarify Role in Upcoming Netflix Documentary
While the documentary supposedly features the Red Hot Chili Peppers as just a moment in Hillel Slovak’s life, the marketing seems to capitalize on the band’s global influence. The Chili Peppers’ statement concluded with the hope that viewers would gain more interest in Slovak’s life and talent.
“The central subject of this current Netflix special is Hillel Slovak,” the band wrote, “and we hope it sparks interest in him and his work.”
The statement was needed to clarify the Chili Peppers’ role in the documentary. However, fans in the comments expressed initial shock at the post’s formatting. A solid black background, white center-aligned text, and ending in a red heart emoji? On first glance, many fans thought they were getting bad news.
“I hate these kinds of posts, they make me think someone has died,” one person commented. Others responded with GIFs of Homer Simpson having a heart attack. Meanwhile, another wrote, “First thought: John left the band again. Second thought: someone has died.”
In an earlier statement, director Ben Feldman said of his doc, “At its heart, this is a deeply relatable story – about the friendships that shape our identities and the lasting power of the bonds forged in adolescence. What’s less relatable, of course, is that here those friends went on to create one of the greatest rock bands in history.”
Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for FIREAID
The post Red Hot Chili Peppers Clarify They Had No Creative Role in Upcoming Netflix Doc About Founding Guitarist appeared first on VICE.
