Dozens of TV shows and movies have been scrapped or altered in response to sexual harassment allegations made against some of the top actors, comedians and producers in Hollywood in recent months.
After the October 2017 New York Times and New Yorker reports exposing decades of assault by former producer Harvey Weinstein, accusers have shared accounts of alleged misconduct involving nearly 100 men in the entertainment industry.
In most cases, action was swift once allegations were made public, with production companies pausing and shelving planned projects, talent being fired and, in some cases, scrubbed completely from credits and scenes. Here’s the status of television shows and films, and how those in power are reacting to the growing number of allegations within the entertainment industry.
TV shows:
“The Chew” — Mario Batali, ABC
Restaurateur Mario Batali was fired from his role as co-host of “The Chew” by ABC after Eater.com published a Dec. 11 report that four women, three who worked for him, had accused the celebrity chef of inappropriately touching them over the past 20 years. It’s not yet clear if he’ll be replaced.
“Molto Mario” — Mario Batali, Food Network
The Food Network scrapped plans to revive its early-2000 series “Molto Mario” starring Batali after allegations of sexual misconduct were published.
Untitled stand-up special — Louis C.K., Netflix
Netflix dropped its plans to release a second stand-up comedy special with the comedian after The New York Times published a report detailing sexual harassment claims by five women on Nov. 9. The comedian’s first stand-up special, “Live at the Comedy Store,” remains on the streaming site.
“Louie” — Louis C.K., FX
The sixth season of “Louie” has been in limbo for quite some time — FX announced it was taking a hiatus from the show in 2015 — and the recent claims against the comedian make it less likely the series will return. FX, in a statement on Nov. 10, said it will no longer be working with the comedian and canceled “the overall deal” between FX Productions and his company. The move also puts his “Better Things” and “Baskets” in limbo.
“One Mississippi” — Louis C.K., Amazon
C.K. was removed as a producer on the Amazon series by co-creator Tig Notaro and FX. On Dec. 11, she told “The View” hosts that she’d learned about his alleged behavior shortly after selling the series two years ago. She called his removal a “huge relief” and confirmed he won’t be working on or appearing in the series’ planned third season.
“Fuller House” — Jeff Franklin, Netflix
Netflix’s “Full House” reboot was renewed in January for a fourth season. But the Candace Cameron-fronted series, titled “Fuller House,” will be moving forward without its showrunner Jeff Franklin due to complaints regarding his behavior on set, Variety reported on Feb. 28. A source said staff complained about Franklin giving women he dated walk-on roles in the series. Steve Baldikoski and Bryan Behar were announced as replacements in March.
“The Great American Baking Show” — Johnny Iuzzini, ABC
Two weeks after the Nov. 29 publication of a Mic article detailing the accusations of four former employees of Johnny Iuzzini, ABC pulled the third season of “Great American Baking Show.” The season, which featured Iuzzini as a judge, returned Dec. 7 and was expected to air three weekly episodes. In the Mic article, the pastry chef was accused of repeatedly sticking his tongue in a pastry chef’s ear while she worked at Trump Tower restaurant Jean Georges.
“Today” — Matt Lauer, NBC
After more than 20 years with NBC, Lauer was fired from his post as co-host of “Today” on Nov. 29. His termination came after a report of “inappropriate sexual behavior,” which was later met by the claims of several other women, colleagues included, published in a Variety article. The morning show continued without him, with Hoda Kotb stepping in as a temporary co-host with Savannah Guthrie. It was announced on the “Today” show on Jan. 2 that Kotb was officially named to replace Lauer.
“The Flash” and “Supergirl” — producer Andrew Kreisberg, The CW
Kreisberg was fired by the network on Nov. 12, two days after Variety published accounts of alleged sexual harassment made by nearly 20 unnamed women. He’s credited with working on The CW’s DC series, including “Arrow,” “The Flash” and “Supergirl.”
“The Ranch” — Danny Masterson, Netflix
Masterson (“That ‘70s Show”) was fired from his role in the Netflix series on Dec. 5 after sexual assault claims filed by three women. The streaming service said in a statement that the actor would be “written out” of the series.
“Wisdom of the Crowd” — Jeremy Piven, CBS
“Wisdom of the Crowd” aired its final episode on Jan. 14, 2018. The network announced it had canceled the series on Nov. 27, 2017, after its lead Piven was accused of sexual assault by actress Anastasia Taneie. Taneie told BuzzFeed that Piven had groped her while working on “Entourage.” The series had a notably low viewership.
“Charlie Rose” — Charlie Rose, PBS
PBS cut its ties with Rose on Nov. 21, one day after allegations were brought to light against him. The show, which has aired since 1991, was canceled.
“CBS This Morning” — Charlie Rose, CBS
The longtime “CBS This Morning” co-host was fired from his post on Nov. 21 in response to accounts published in The Washington Post by eight women who alleged “unwanted sexual advances” were made toward them. The network announced John Dickerson as his replacement on Jan. 9.
The allegations against Rose were expanded upon in a May 3 Washington Post article, which reported an additional 27 women had raised concerns about the former host to CBS within the past 30 years.
“The Royals” — Producer Mark Schwahn, E!
Former “One Tree Hill” producer Mark Schwahn was accused of “repeated unwanted sexual harassment” by the cast and crew of his latest series, “The Royals.” E!’s first scripted series lost its producer on Nov. 16. It was picked up for a fourth season in February and returned in March.
“All Def Comedy” — Russell Simmons, HBO
Simmons stepped down from his companies on Nov. 30 after being accused of forcing a sexual encounter with writer Jenny Lumet in 1991. That same day, HBO released a statement saying Simmons would not appear in the series as planned and his name would be scrubbed from credits.
“House of Cards” — Kevin Spacey, Netflix
The Netflix political drama will continue without Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood, focusing on Robin Wright’s character, who’s serving as the fictional first female president, the streaming service announced Dec. 5. The change came after BuzzFeed posted an article exposing alleged unwanted sexual advances by Spacey involving actor Anthony Rapp. Rapp claimed Spacey climbed on top of him after a party at his New York apartment in 1986. After the initial report, more than a dozen men — who were teens at the time of the incidents — came forward with their own stories.
“Transparent” — Jeffrey Tambor, Amazon
After being accused of sexual harassment by two of his “Transparent” co-workers, Tambor released a statement on Nov. 19 announcing his departure from the award-winning series. On Feb. 15, Deadline reported that Tambor was “officially off” the Amazon show and would not appear in the upcoming fifth season. It’s still unclear if the series will be canceled after its next season.
“Arrested Development” — Jeffrey Tambor, Netflix
The series’ long-awaited return to Netflix was somewhat in limbo following accusations against Tambor. While the streaming site had cut ties with other actors facing claims of sexual assault, including Spacey and Louis C.K., a spokeswoman confirmed May 4 that the actor would appear in the upcoming season. A release date has not yet been announced.
“The Romanoffs” — Harvey Weinstein, Matthew Weiner, Amazon
Amazon’s Weinstein Co.-backed series focused on the modern-day members of the Romanov family (from “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner) was pulled after Weinstein and Weiner were accused of misconduct. Weiner was accused of making unwanted sexual remarks toward former “Mad Men” writer Kater Gordon on Nov. 9. Amazon later announced it planned to move forward on the project without TWC.
Untitled David O. Russell project — Harvey Weinstein, Amazon
Amazon waited nearly 10 days before severing ties with The Weinstein Co. after the Oct. 5 Times report. Aside from “The Romanoffs,” an untitled two-season drama series from director David O. Russell was also scrapped. Robert De Niro, Julianne Moore and Michael Shannon were set to star in the project.
Untitled Elvis biopic — Harvey Weinstein, Apple Inc.
A miniseries focused on the life of Elvis Presley was in the works with The Weinstein Co. and Apple Inc. before the Times report was released. According to Deadline, the show, which was in the very early stages of production, was canned on Oct. 9 by Apple.
“Ordeal by Innocence” — Ed Westwick, BBC/Amazon
Ed Westwick was replaced by actor Christian Cooke in the BBC drama, which was originally set to be scrapped after the former “Gossip Girl” star was accused of raping three women in November. Westwick’s scenes were scheduled to be reshot with Cooke, Deadline reported Jan. 5.
“White Gold” — Ed Westwick, BBC
In a statement, the BBC said the “independent production company making ‘White Gold’ has informed us that Ed Westwick has paused from filming while he deals with these allegations.”
Movies:
“The Secret Life of Pets 2” — Louis C.K., Universal
The comedian, who voiced the dog Max in the 2016 animated comedy, was to return in the sequel, set for a 2019 release. On Nov. 10, Universal said it had “terminated” its relationship with C.K., confirming that he would no longer be the voice of Max. Patton Oswalt has reportedly been tapped to voice Max in the upcoming film.
“I Love You, Daddy” — Louis C.K., The Orchard
Production company The Orchard decided against releasing “I Love You, Daddy” on Nov. 17 as planned, due to its proximity to the allegations being published against the comedian. On Dec. 11, The New York Times reported that C.K. plans to buy back the rights to the film.
Untitled Hugh Hefner biopic — Brett Ratner, Playboy Enterprises
Playboy Enterprises decided not to move forward with plans to produce a Hugh Hefner-focused film directed by Brett Ratner, after six women detailed inappropriate sexual behavior throughout Ratner’s career and stemming back to the early ’90s.
“All the Money in the World” — Kevin Spacey, Sony
Days after accusations involving Spacey were made public, the actor’s role was recast in the kidnapping drama. The film, nominated for three Golden Globes, was re-shot with Christopher Plummer as J. Paul Getty. Plummer was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award.
“The Current War” — The Weinstein Co.
The Benedict Cumberbatch period drama was supposed to hit theaters on Nov. 24, but was held back in the midst of the investigations into Weinstein. Earlier in October, The Weinstein Co. announced plans to move the film to an undisclosed 2018 release.
“Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock” — The Weinstein Co.
Channing Tatum canceled his directorial debut project “Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock” on Oct. 18 after learning of the allegations against Harvey Weinstein. His film, based on Matthew Quick’s book of the same title, focused on a young sexual abuse victim. “We will no longer develop it or anything else that is property of TWC,” Tatum wrote on Facebook.
Radio:
“The Leonard Lopate Show” and “The Jonathan Channel” – New York Public Radio
Following Dec. 6 suspensions for unspecified allegations against them, and subsequent separate investigations into both, longtime voices of WYNC were silenced. Leonard Lopate and Jonathan Schwartz were officially fired on Dec. 21 by NYPR. Lopate’s namesake show, centered around cultural and public affairs issues, was weekdays; Schwartz’ online music series celebrated the Great American Songbook.
“A Prairie Home Companion” – Minnesota Public Radio
Though Garrison Keillor had retired last year after leading the program for more than four decades, sexual misconduct allegations against the folksy host that surfaced in November led to the show being renamed. Current host Chris Thile, who took the reins in 2016, now presides over “Live From Here.”
