Netflix has fired 'The Ranch' star Danny Masterson after multiple accusations of sexual assault against him

Netflix has fired actor Danny Masterson, who starred opposite Ashton Kutcher in "The Ranch."
Four women have accused Masterson of sexual assault, including rape.
Masterson said he is "very disappointed" in Netflix's decision, and denied all of the accusations against him.
Netflix took its time in firing Masterson compared to its quick moves to fire Kevin Spacey from "House of Cards" and cancel Louis C.K.'s stand-up special when the accusations against them surfaced.

Netflix has fired Danny Masterson from its original comedy series "The Ranch" after accusations of sexual assault, including multiple allegations of rape. Monday was his last day on the show, the company told Business Insider.

Masterson, who stars on "The Ranch" with former "That 70s Show" co-star Ashton Kutcher, was "written out" of the Netflix show but will appear in part two of season three, which premieres on the streaming service December 15.

"As a result of ongoing discussions, Netflix and the producers have written Danny Masterson out of 'The Ranch,'" Netflix said in a statement to Business Insider. "Yesterday [Monday] was his last day on the show, and production will resume in early 2018 without him."

Masterson responded to the firing on Tuesday through his lawyer.

“I am obviously very disappointed in Netflix’s decision to write my character off of 'The Ranch,'" Masterson said in a statement provided to HuffPost. "From day one, I have denied the outrageous allegations against me. I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one."

The announcement of Masterson's firing comes a day after a report in HuffPost that said a Netflix executive unknowingly defended Masterson to one of his alleged victims at a soccer game.

In March, the LAPD confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that it was conducting an investigation into the allegations against Masterson. At the time, the LAPD said that three women came forward and said that they had been sexually assaulted by Masterson in the early 2000s, when he was a star on "That '70s Show." Since then, a fourth woman has come forward with an accusation in The Daily Beast.

“Victims are taking back the power that was stolen from us, and things are going to change. Netflix should write that down," Chrissie Carnell Bixler, who alleged Masterson raped her, told The Daily Beast in November.

Netflix took more time to fire Masterson relative to other recent allegations against stars of its shows.

Netflix moved quickly to halt production on "House of Cards" and fire its star Kevin Spacey after allegations of sexual misconduct against him surfaced, and swiftly canceled Louis C.K.'s second Netflix stand-up special following accusations that he masturbated in front of multiple women. Unlike Louis C.K. and Spacey, Masterson has yet to admit to any wrongdoing.

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