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Update: "In light of recent events, the producers have decided to remove the brief reference to Kevin Spacey," NBC confirms to TooFab. Original story below.
"This Is Us" writers have done it again, dropping another timely pop culture reference in this Tuesday's episode.
A little over a month since the hit NBC drama premiered with a perfectly timed Kardashian joke, Kevin Spacey gets a shoutout, too.
No, the show doesn't make mention of actor Anthony Rapp's allegation that the two-time Oscar winner made a sexual advance on him when he was just 14 -- the writer's aren't prophets -- but given the controversy surrounding Spacey and his "sincerest apology," Spacey's name will definitely be on viewer's minds, so they'll probably still get a kick out of it.
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'This Is Us' 7 Tissue Moments Ranked: Another Jack Bombshell Tests Bonds of Brotherhood And Fatherhood
View StoryBefore we go any further, TooFab should mention this is not a spoiler, as the line of dialogue has no real impact on any of the storylines in the series. In fact, it's not even a major character that references Spacey.
Ready for it?
The roommate of Justin Hartley's character, Kevin, tells his friend, "Dude, I booked the Kevin Spacey movie."
The simple line will likely have new meaning for many viewers and probably lead to plenty of Twitter jokes we can only imagine for now: "Dude, that Kevin Spacey movie probably isn't going to get made anymore."
But seriously, this fictional actor's big break would be in jeopardy in the real world. Netflix announced Monday that the sixth season of "House of Cards" would be its last, and fans started a movement to get Spacey's character killed off. In other bad news for Spacey, the International Academy announced on Twitter it will not honor him with the 2017 International Emmy Founders Award
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'House of Cards' Creator Calls Kevin Spacey Sexual Misconduct Allegation 'Deeply Troubling'
View StoryLast time "This Is Us" coincidentally dropped a perfect pop culture reference, Kevin poked fun of the the Kardashians for multiplying "like gremlins" amidst real-life headlines about Khloe and Kylie Jenner's respective pregnancies.
"The Kardashian's are like gremlins, by next week they'll be a bazillion more of 'em," Kevin said in the episode.
Spacey is currently fielding a PR nightmare not only for the unsavory allegation, which paints the actor as a pedophile, but his statement released Sunday night only made matters worse.
"I have a lot of respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp as an actor. I'm beyond horrified to hear his story. I honestly do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago. But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years," Spacey said.
"This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life," the actor continued. "I know that there are stories out there about me and that some have been fueled by the fact that I have been so protective of my privacy. As those closest to me know, in my life I have had relationships with both men and women. I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man. I want to deal with this honestly and openly and that starts with examining my own behavior."
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'The View' Shreds Kevin Spacey's Sexual Misconduct Apology as 'Irresponsible,' 'Dangerous' and 'Dumb'
View StorySex columnist Dan Savage, who is also gay, probably summed up the issue with the statement best:
Nope to Kevin Spacey's statement. Nope. There's no amount of drunk or closeted that excuses or explains away assaulting a 14-year-old child.
@fakedansavage
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