Andy Yeatman, the Netflix executive who told one of the women who accused The Ranch star Danny Masterson of rape that the company doesn’t believe the claims, was fired Tuesday.
“Mr. Yeatman is no longer employed at Netflix,” a Netflix spokesperson told Entertainment Weekly. Yeatman was the former director of global kids content for the streaming service.
Videos by PopCulture.com
On Dec. 4, HuffPost reported that the alleged victim spoke with Yeatman at a kids’ soccer game where their daughters were playing. The victim approached Yeatman and asked him if he worked for Netflix and why the company continued to employ him.
Yeatman said Netflix takes sexual harassment seriously, but “we don’t believe them,” the victim recalled. She then told him that she is one of the four women who have accused Masterson of rape.
The former executive later told her he had no idea she was an alleged victim. She started to cry and told Yeatman, “I hope no one ever says that to your daughter.”
Netflix confirmed to HuffPost that Yeatman made the “careless” and “uninformed” comments.
On the day after the HuffPost report, Netflix fired Masterson. The company was under fire for continuing to employ him, even though it moved quickly to fire House of Cards star Kevin Spacey after he was accused of sexual misconduct.
Masterson starred on The Ranch with his former That ’70s Show co-star Ashton Kutcher. Kutcher is reportedly “shocked” by the firing and allegations against his friend.
Masterson has insisted that the allegations are false.
“I am obviously very disappointed in Netflix’s decision to write my character off of The Ranch,” the 41-year-old actor said last week. “From day one, I have denied the outrageous allegations against me. 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 political climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused. I understand and look forward to clearing my name once and for all.”
