Danny Masterson Fired from 'The Ranch'
by EG
Netflix announced on Monday that it was firing actor Danny Masterson from its sitcom The Ranch. Masterson has been accused of raping multiple women, and he is under investigation by the LAPD. Netflix had not acted on the allegations until it became public that a company exec had told one of the alleged victims that Netflix didn't believe the accusers. After that story broke, Netflix said Masterson would no longer work on the show, but he will still appear in the remainder of the current season. He might also appear in the next season of the show.
Danny Masterson is done at Netflix.
The actor, who is facing multiple allegations of rape, has been fired from the streaming giant's scripted comedy The Ranch.
"As a result of ongoing discussions, Netflix and the producers have written Danny Masterson out of The Ranch. [Monday] was his last day on the show, and production will resume in early 2018 without him," Netflix said in a statement.
Masterson will still appear in the second half of season two, due Dec. 15, and could return for parts of the previously announced third season as the streaming giant writes him out of the Ashton Kutcher comedy. It's unclear if another actor will be brought in to make up for the void. (Kutcher famously came in as the new male lead after Charlie Sheen was fired from CBS' Two and a Half Men.)
The LAPD has been investigating sexual assault claims against Masterson and a potential Church of Scientology cover-up since March.
Three women came forward at the time with claims that the actor sexual assaulted them. The claims stem from an alleged victim's 16-year-old claims that were brought to light after contact with Leah Remini as part of her A&E docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.
In November, after Netflix suspended House of Cards star Kevin Spacey following sexual assault allegations, Chrissie Carnell Bixler, one of the women who accused Masterson of rape, blasted Netflix for its continued relationship with Masterson.
"What Netflix has done, feels like...I don't matter. The other women don't matter. Our pain means nothing, and we should be good little girls and shut our mouths. No!" she said. "I'm going to be an amazing woman who will NOT shut my mouth when I find out my rapist raped countless other women. I will NOT shut my mouth when Netflix tries to make us feel like we don't matter. We DO matter. We ARE important. We will see justice for what was done to us, and is continuing to be done to us...and for all those who knew/know and are either actively helping this serial rapist or are choosing to stay silent...YOU don't matter."
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
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