Actor Danny Masterston has been fired from Netflix‘s scripted comedy series The Ranch amid a series of rape allegations.
This comes just a day after reports emerged that a Netflix executive told one of Masterston’s accusers that the streaming giant didn’t believe the allegations without realising who she was. Netflix confirmed that Andy Yeatman, its director of global kids content, did indeed make those “careless” and “uninformed” comments.
After discussing with the producers, we’ve decided to write Danny Masterson off of The Ranch. Yesterday was his last day of work, and we’ll make new episodes in 2018 without him.
— Netflix (@netflix) December 5, 2017
Four women have accused the former That 70s Show star of raping them during the early 2000s. Reports have suggested that the LAPD investigations into the alleged assaults stalled over the past year due to the repeated interventions of the Church of Scientology, of which Masterston is a member. A report last month suggested that one woman’s case did not proceed after Scientologists issued over 50 affadavits challenging the woman’s account.
Masterston’s accusers are also members of the Church of Scientology, and say they were pressured not to report their claims to police.
The actor has issued a statement through The Huffington Post denying the allegations and claiming that he “looks forward” to clearing his name:
I am obviously very disappointed in Netflix’s decision to write my character off The Ranch. From day one, I have denied the outrageous allegations against me. I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, in the current climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused. I understand and look forward to clearing my name once and for all.
The Ranch will proceed to the end of its current season and potentially beyond it. A tweet from Netflix confirmed that Masterson will be written out of the show, which also stars Ashton Kutcher, and that he is no longer working on the production.
After discussing with the producers, we’ve decided to write Danny Masterson off of The Ranch. Yesterday was his last day of work, and we’ll make new episodes in 2018 without him.
— Netflix (@netflix) December 5, 2017
