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Netflix has severed ties with "The Ranch" star Danny Masterson after multiple allegations of sexual assault had been brought against him. Masterson continues to deny the allegations.
"After discussing with the producers, we've decided to write Danny Masterson off of 'The Ranch,'" Netflix tweeted on Tuesday morning. "Yesterday was his last day of work, and we'll make new episodes in 2018 without him.
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View StoryMasterson was quick to respond.
"I am obviously very disappointed in Netflix's decision to write my character off of 'The Ranch.' From day one, I have denied the outrageous allegations against me. Law enforcement investigated these claims more than 15 years ago and determined them to be without merit," Masterson told TMZ. "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."
Masterson has been accused by four women of sexual assault. One of those women told The Huffington Post she was told by a Netflix executive, Andy Yeatman, that the network didn't believe their claims over this past weekend. This was before Yeatman realized he was talking to one of Masterson's alleged victims.
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View StoryNetflix acknowledged the exchange with Yeatman to HuffPo on Monday, calling his words "careless" and "uninformed," before going on to add that they "are aware of the allegations against Danny Masterson and we are following the current investigation, and will respond if developments occur." According to their tweet today, Masterson was let go yesterday, the same day as this statement.
The LAPD and Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office have been conducting an investigation into the allegations against Masterson for most of 2017. He has been accused of spiking the drinks of four women and raping them. Netflix learned of the investigation in March, which has lead to some controversy over their lack of response, considering how quickly they fired Kevin Spacey after allegations of sexual misconduct arose around him.
Twitter erupted after their decision to fire Masterson on Tuesday, with celebrities and fans alike applauding the streamer. At the same time, some were throwing shade by suggesting it took the HuffPo story revealing the victims weren't believed to spur Netflix into action.
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View StoryHere are some of those responses:
🙏🏻🙏🏻
@jcolburnlevy
Netflix ousts actor Danny Masterson amid rape allegations https://t.co/Wv0ITun3Vi - SO 4 IS THE CUT OFF 4 NETFLIX - GOOD 2 KNOW #rapeCulture
@Rosie
Thank you Yashar for your incredible work. https://t.co/9S58rcQopk
@DebraMessing
Finally @netflix takes action. Some small measure of justice for the victims. @yashar latest story Netflix ousts actor Danny Masterson amid rape allegations https://t.co/WBjbReg4N1 via @HuffPostEnt
@MikeRinder
Fired! I'm surprised! I thought #DannyMasterson was bizarrely untouchable! There are a lot of very angry people at the @Scientology Center today! https://t.co/t5qjklSOHQ
@ThePerezHilton
Now that Danny Masterson has been fired, how can we get Terry Crews' assaulter Adam Venit fired as well? I don't understand how anybody would want to have an agent like that. “Representative” as in “they represent you”.
@Lexialex
Netflix has at long last fired Danny Masterson. Don't thank them--they took nine fucking months to do it. https://t.co/DGtjfVwa17
@courtenlow
I'm glad Danny Masterson got fired. I mean..."The Ranch" is clearly a pretend show that doesn't exist because no one has watched it ever, but still. Glad he got fired.
@danblackroyd
Less than 24 hours after this story published, @Netflix announces Danny Masterson will no longer be acting on "The Ranch." The day this story came out was his last day of filming. https://t.co/cJmdEu9dRe
@loisbeckett
BREAKING: Christopher Plummer to digitally replace Danny Masterson in all episodes of That 70s show. pic.twitter.com/6aemxIA5Cf
@studioexec1
BREAKING: Christopher Plummer to replace Danny Masterson in Netflix show The Ranch. pic.twitter.com/MAMviUNiyN
@studioexec1
ah, yes. how long have those allegations been floating around? #complicit on kevin spacey; #complicit on danny masterson. https://t.co/TOn0FBg3yA
@ohhushchloe
I didn't even know Danny Masterson was running for senate
@Shampoodler
Well @netflix finally tossed Danny Masterson. @reedhastings đź‘Ť pic.twitter.com/SsevzHZhCa
@jaxsaid
I'm glad it finally happened! It must have been the article about that executive that told the victim they didn't believe the accusers. They got A HUGE backlash from it. Great job to everyone that helped get the message across! Resistance works! https://t.co/uHz3MwBn4R
@danicalynn1988
Danny Masterson is just more proof that the entertainment industry needs to be completely and utterly destroyed.
@adudeinaplace3
Glad @netflix did right thing and got rid of Danny Masterson. Hopefully if @LAPDHQ & DA do their jobs he'll be in a 8x8
@Kevin_Lang_
For once, Scientology couldn't save Danny Masterson from the consequences of his actions. #good
@sassylibrarian1
Masterson will still appear in Part 4 of "The Ranch," premiering December 15th on Netflix.
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