How Much of ‘Welcome to Chippendales’ Is True?
The Hulu Original, Welcome to Chippendales, follows the story of Somen “Steve” Banerjee, an immigrant from India chasing success and wealth in the early 1980s in Los Angeles. Banerjee founded Chippendales, the most successful male dance troupe in history. Showrunner Rob Siegel is at the helm, and while, at first glance, the series seems to focus on the glittery nightlife of that era, it has a much darker undercurrent. So, how much of Welcome to Chippendales is true?
[WARNING: Because Welcome to Chippendales is based on a true story, some details in this article might qualify as spoilers.]
‘Welcome to Chippendales’ is based on a book about the Chippendales murders
In 2014, K. Scot Macdonald published a book titled Deadly Dance: The Chippendales Murders, which also tells the true story of Banerjee’s rise to success before his subsequent fall from grace.
The book’s synopsis reads, “Deadly Dance tells the fascinating story of Steve Banerjee, founder and owner of Chippendales. In the post-pill, pre-AIDS, sex-filled LA club scene of the 1980s, celebrities, desperate housewives and wild bachelorettes converged on one place: Chippendales—and behind it all was arson, the Mob and murder.”
Welcome to Chippendales uses the book as a springboard for the series. Siegel succeeds at catching viewers’ eyes with the flashiness of the era, but by the end of the first episode, it’s clear there’s a much darker story emerging to the surface.
Steve Banerjee didn’t come up with the idea for a male strip club
In the show, we see Banerjee start off as a humble gas station attendant before buying an abandoned nightclub called Destiny II. After meeting slimy nightclub promoter Paul Snider, a scene shows Banerjee convincing Snider to transform their club into a male strip club for women. That part strays from the truth. Snider is actually credited with coming up with the idea for the male strip club.
The origin of the iconic ‘cuffs and collars’ look in ‘Welcome to Chippendales’ is true
Before the Chippendales dancers exploded in popularity, they were a bunch of handsome men stripping off their clothes on stage. There was no uniform at that time. In Welcome to Chippendales, we see Dorothy Stratten suggest the idea of cuffs and collars for the men to Banerjee. That tidbit is true. Stratten was a Playmate, and it was a play on the famous Playboy Bunny uniforms.
Most of the characters in ‘Welcome to Chippendales’ are based on real people
Banerjee, Snider, Stratten, and Nick de Noia all played a part in the creation of Chippendales. However, we also meet Denise Coughlan in Welcome to Chippendales Episode 2, played by Juliette Lewis. No person named Denise Coughlan ever had a hand in working with Banerjee. However, many believe that Coughlan’s character is based on Candace Mayeron. Mayeron called herself the “den mother” to the dancers, and Lewis’ looks in the series resemble Mayeron.
As for Banerjee’s wife, Irene, played by Annaleigh Ashford, the details surrounding her plot in Welcome to Chippendales seem mostly fabricated. Ashford had little to go on regarding Irene, and she told Metacritic, “There’s, like, one photo of her.”
Welcome to Chippendales Episodes 1-3 are currently available on Hulu.
