How Danny Masterson Was Written out of ‘The Ranch’

The Ranch just dropped its 10 newest episodes on Netflix on Friday, June 15, and fans have known for months that actor Danny Masterson would be exiting the series after being fired in December amid allegations of sexual assault.

“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 at the time, according to Variety. “Yesterday was his last day on the show, and production will resume in early 2018 without him.”

With the new batch of episodes having been released, fans can see how the show decided to write Masterson’s character, Rooster Bennett, out of the series, with the character making his final appearance in Episode 10.

The episode sees Rooster arrive home to find Mary’s ex-co boyfriend Nick sitting on his couch, wondering if Rooster has been sleeping with Mary. Things escalate before Colt arrives, with an angry Nick leaving.

Rooster eventually heads to the bar, where Mary tells him that she broke up with Nick after hearing what happened, with Rooster inviting Mary to WrestleMania.

When he returns home that night, Nick is back, offering Rooster a duffle bag and the warning, “You either take that bag and disappear, or you could just disappear.”

When Rooster snaps back, Nick pulls out a gun, telling Rooster that if he tells anyone what happened, he’ll kill his entire family. With that, Rooster takes the bag and leaves.

Masterson was fired from the show after four women accused him of raping them in the early 2000s.

After his firing, Masterson released a statement addressing Netflix’s decision which said that he was “disappointed.”

“I am obviously very disappointed in Netflix’s decision to write my character off of The Ranch,” he said, via TV Line. “From Day 1, 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. 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.”

During the second half of the show’s 20-episode third season, actor Dax Shepard will appear as a guest star to help fill the void left by Masterson’s character.

Shepard will play Luke Matthews, a former soldier who comes to Garrison with some history concerning the Iron River Ranch. He meets the Bennetts and immediately bonds with Colt and Beau, but Luke’s past has a way of catching up with him.

Photo Credit: Netflix