Netflix on Monday announced that it was
canceling House of Cards amid allegations Kevin Spacey had
made unwanted sexual advances in 1986 to a 14-year-old Anthony Rapp.
Spacey stars as the manipulative
Francis Underwood in the Netflix series.
According to Deadline
Hollywood, executives, who were leaning toward ending the series
after its sixth season, decided to pull the plug on the hit show
after Rapp, who currently appears on CBS All Access' Star Trek:
Discovery, spoke to BuzzFeed News about Spacey's unwanted sexual
advances when Rapp was 14. (Rapp had previously talked about the
incident without identifying Spacey.)
(Related: Kevin
Spacey comes out gay; Apologizes for alleged sexual advances toward
Anthony Rapp at 14.)
Spacey responded by saying that he had
no recollection of the incident, then pivoted to long simmering
rumors about his sexuality, saying that he now chooses “to live as
a gay man.”
In a statement, Netflix and producers
Media Rights Capital said that they were “deeply troubled” by the
allegations. “In response to last night’s revelations,
executives from both of our companies arrived in Baltimore this
afternoon to meet with our cast and crew to ensure that they continue
to feel safe and supported. As previously scheduled, Kevin Spacey is
not working on set at this time,” the companies said.
House of Cards season 6 is
expected to debut next summer.