Danny Masterson has been removed from production of “The Ranch” due to multiple rape claims against the actor.
Masterson, who stars alongside Ashton Kutcher in the Netflix original comedy, will no longer appear in the show and has been written out ahead of the upcoming premiere date of Part 4 on Dec. 15, Page Six reports.
“As a result of ongoing discussions, Netflix and the producers have written Danny Masterson out of ‘The Ranch,'” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday. “Yesterday was his last day on the show, and production will resume in early 2018 without him.”
(Photo by Anna Webber/Getty Images for Netflix)
It’s difficult to imagine how the show will go on without one of its two stars, who has also served as an executive producer for the series. However, “The Ranch” is now the second Netflix series that has made major changes in casting due to sexual misconduct allegations. “House of Cards” recently removed Kevin Spacey from the cast of the hit drama series due to the many allegations of sexual harassment and assault he’s facing.
Four women recently came forward with rape allegations against Masterson, leading to his removal from the show. The Los Angeles County district attorney and the Los Angeles Police Department are leading an investigation into the claims.