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It would be difficult to point to a single era in Hollywood’s storied history that didn’t contain sexual abuse and harassment scandals. However, for one of the first times in American history, an entire industry is being called out for its sexism and unfair sexual politics by a mainstream effort. The #MeToo and Time’s Up movements have proven they’re more than just catchy phrases. They’re cultural movements that are capable of creating real-world change.
Rose McGowan‘s accusations against Harvey Weinstein triggered an wave of similar accusations against the producer that led to Weinstein getting fired from his own company. Shortly after Anthony Rapp accused Kevin Spacey of sexual misconduct when he was underage, Spacey was fired from his long-running show House of Cards and digitally replaced in Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World. After Louis C.K. admitted that the New York Times story about his sexual misconduct was accurate, both FX and Netflix prematurely ended their deals with the comedian. At least some of the accusations that have been made because of these movements have damaged the reputations and job opportunities of powerful men in Hollywood who have abused their power.
However, this period in entertainment is also notable for an entirely different reason. In the not-too-distant past, if a network wanted to distance itself from a controversial performer or creator, all it would have to do is stop airing projects from that person. You can still see that approach in The Cosby Show‘s missing status in nostalgic sitcom blocks. But in the era of on-demand entertainment, it’s hard for a network to fully distance themselves from a controversial creator or performer.
In the age of streaming, how do you handle a controversial figure who has been accused of sexual misconduct but not found guilty of these allegations in a court of law? Is it enough to end all working ties with that creator, or does the severity of these accusations and this current climate call for networks and streaming services to go a step further and fully erase past seasons starring said controversial performer? There is no clear answer or guideline about how any of this should be handled. However, these movements have affected what’s in the libraries of your favorite streaming services. Here is how some of the biggest networks and streaming services have handled some of the creators and performers who have been accused of sexual misconduct.
Netflix
Kevin Spacey
Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of sexual misconduct in an interview with BuzzFeed News in October of 2017. Netflix shut down production on House of Cards shorty after the story broke and fired Spacey from the show in November. At the same time, Netflix also cut ties with Spacey, cancelling the Gore biopic the actor was supposed to star in.
Currently, all back seasons of House of Cards are available to stream, but Netflix will not be working with Spacey on any new projects. Here is the official statement from Netflix:
“Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey. We will continue to work with MRC during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the show. We have also decided we will not be moving forward with the release of the film Gore,which was in post-production, starring and produced by Kevin Spacey.”
Louis C.K.
In November of 2017, the New York Times published a piece that featured five women accusing Louis C.K. of masturbating in front of them. The next day, the comedian admitted the report was true. In the wake of this scandal, Netflix cancelled the second Louis C.K. stand up special that was supposed to air, a move, which paired with the company distancing itself from Spacey, cost Netflix a reported $39 million.
Netflix will not be airing any new specials from Louis C.K. However, his previous Netflix special, Louis C.K. 2017, is still available to stream. Netflix’s statement is below:
“The allegations made by several women in The New York Times about Louis C.K.’s behavior are disturbing,” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement. “Louis’s unprofessional and inappropriate behavior with female colleagues has led us to decide not to produce a second stand up special, as had been planned.”
Danny Masterson
In late November, Leah Remini accused the LAPD of covering up the rape allegations against Danny Masterson because he was a Scientologist. Netflix originally didn’t address these accusations, but after a rape accuser confronted a Netflix executive at a youth soccer game, the company did. Masterson was then fired from The Ranch.
Though Netflix will no longer be working with Masterson in 2018, his past seasons on The Ranch are still available to stream. That includes this latest season, which premiered after these allegations became public and after Masterson was fired. Netflix’s official statement on the actor is below:
“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. “Yesterday was his last day on the show, and production will resume in early 2018 without him.”
Aziz Ansari
In January of 2018, an article on Babe.net accused Master of None creator and star Aziz Ansari of sexual misconduct.
Master of None is still available to stream on Netflix. At the time of publication, the company has not issued a statement about Ansari, though Ansari has responded to the allegations.
HBO
Louis C.K.
Following the Times report and Louis C.K.’s admission that these stories were true, HBO cut ties with the creator and comedian.
At the moment, all of Louis C.K.’s stand up specials and Lucky Louie have been removed from HBO’s on-demand platforms, which include HBO Go and HBO NOW. The comedian was also removed from HBO’s Night of Too Many Stars special. Here’s the official statement from HBO:
“Louis C.K. will no longer be participating in the Night of Too Many Stars: America Unites for Autism Programs, which will be presented live on HBO on November 18. In addition, HBO is removing Louis C.K.’s past projects from its on demand services.”
James Toback
In October, the LA Times reported that 38 women had come forward to accuse director James Toback of sexual misconduct. That number grew to 395 by January. HBO only had one original project from the director — the 2013 documentary Seduced and Abandoned, which Toback made alongside Alec Baldwin.
Seduced and Abandoned is no longer available on HBO’s on-demand platforms. HBO has not issued a statement about its removal.
Mark Halperin
In October of 2017, five women accused journalist Mark Halperin of sexual harassment. This report came from CNN. Before the accusations surfaced, HBO was planning on creating a miniseries based on Halperin’s book Game Change.
The miniseries has since been cancelled. Here is HBO’s official statement:
“HBO is no longer proceeding with the project tied to the untitled book co-authored by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann on the 2016 Presidential election. HBO has no tolerance for sexual harassment within the company or its productions.”
T.J. Miller
In December of 2017, The Daily Beast published a piece accusing T.J. Miller of graphically sexually assaulting and punching a woman. By the time the piece was published, Miller had already quit HBO’s Silicon Valley.
All seasons of Silicon Valley that feature Miller are still available on HBO Go and HBO NOW. Here’s HBO’s statement on Miller:
“There were no reports of sexual misconduct during T.J. Miller’s time working at HBO.”
James Franco
In a piece published by the LA Times in January, five women accused James Franco of inappropriate or sexually exploitative behavior when connected to Franco’s acting school. At the time this report was released, Franco was promoting The Disaster Artist, a film he was passed over for when it came to Oscar nominations, and he was still starring in HBO’s The Deuce.
Season 1 of The Deuce is still available to stream on HBO Go and HBO NOW. Here is HBO’s statement about Franco from Deadline:
“We have verified that no complaints about Mr. Franco have come in on The Deuce production,” HBO said in a statement.
FX
Louis C.K.
Immediately following the Times report and Louis C.K.’s admission that these stories were true, FX ended its relationship with the creator and comedian. At the time this report came out, the comedian was working on five shows with the network — Louie, Baskets, Better Things, One Mississippi, and the unaired animated comedy The Cops. Louie and The Cops were officially cancelled, while Better Things and Baskets will continue without Louis C.K. as executive producer or receiving compensation from these shows. One Mississippi was later cancelled by Amazon.
FX has pulled Louie from its streaming platforms FXNOW and FX+. However, Baskets and Better Things are both still on the platforms. A partial version of FX’s official statement is below. You can read the full version here:
“Today, FX Networks and FX Productions are ending our association with Louis C.K. We are canceling the overall deal between FX Productions and his production company, Pig Newton. He will no longer serve as executive producer or receive compensation on any of the four shows we were producing with him – Better Things, Baskets, One Mississippi and The Cops.”
Amazon
Jeffrey Tambor
In a piece published by The Hollywood Reporter in November of 2017, actress Trace Lysette accused Jeffery Tambor of sexual harassment. Following sexual misconduct allegations, the actor originally stepped away from Transparent before returning and saying he has “no plans to quit” the show.
Prime Video still has all seasons of Transparent available to stream. Amazon is currently in the middle of an investigation into the sexual harassment claims.
Casey Affleck
According to The Daily Beast, two women who worked with Casey Affleck on the set of I’m Still Here accused the actor of sexual harassment. Affleck threatened to counter-sue before settling out of court. These accusations didn’t stop Affleck from winning the Oscar for Manchester by the Sea in 2017. However, backlash to this story did stop him from presenting at this year’s Oscars. Affleck’s production company has since signed an exclusive deal with Amazon.
Manchester by the Sea is still available to stream. Amazon has not issued a statement about the accusations and settlement against Affleck.
Woody Allen
Amazon has had a long relationship with Woody Allen, going back to Cafe Society in 2016. The company has largely been quiet about Dylan Farrow‘s sexual assault allegations against Allen. However, a recent piece from the New York Times suggests that Amazon may be considering getting out of its Allen contract early. Currently, the company still has three movies left in its contract.
All of Allen’s Amazon Studios movies as well as Crisis in Six Scenes are available to stream.
