Netflix has pulled the plug on an upcoming project with comedian and actor Chris D’Elia, following allegations of sexual misconduct and grooming by multiple women, some of whom claim they were underage at the time.
360aproko has learned the the streaming service will not be moving forward with a planned prank show starring D’Elia and Bryan Callen, and made the decision shortly after the allegations surfaced last month.
D’Elia denied any illegal or nonconsensual activity in a statement to 360aproko at the time, but apologized for getting “caught up in my lifestyle.”
“I know I have said and done things that might have offended people during my career, but I have never knowingly pursued any underage women at any point,” he said in his statement. “All of my relationships have been both legal and consensual and I have never met or exchanged any inappropriate photos with the people who have tweeted about me.”
“That being said, I really am truly sorry. I was a dumb guy who ABSOLUTELY let myself get caught up in my lifestyle,” he added. “That’s MY fault. I own it. I’ve been reflecting on this for some time now and I promise I will continue to do better.”
D’Elia, who most recently starred on the second season of Netflix’s You as a famous stand-up comic who is revealed to be a sexual predator, was first accused of misconduct by a Twitter user named Simone Rossi.
Rossi tweeted, “I still can’t believe netflix cast chris d’elia as the pedophile in season to [sic] of ‘you’ like the literal IRONY.”
She then shared screenshots of alleged emails between her and D’Elia from when she was 16. The emails appear to show D’Elia asking Rossi to meet up after his live shows and requesting photos from her.
“For the longest time i thought it was embarrassing for ME that i was interacting with this older man, but he was the one who DM’d me on twitter and was the one who was twice my age and was the one that used the power imbalance between us to his advantage so f**k chris d’elia,” she wrote. “I am also definitely not the only underage girl he did this too. just an FYI.”
Another Twitter user, @michaelacoletta, responded to Rossi’s story with allegations of her own. “Although i’ve been publicly saying it for years, F**K Chris D’elia. he solicited nudes off of me when i was 17 years old and constantly messaged me whenever he was touring vancouver and asked me to come backstage to his shows,” she wrote. “I am so unsurprised that multiple girls are coming out with almost the exact story as mine. it’s a known fact he’s a f**king perv and he plays those roles perfectly when acting lmao.”
Still others shared stories, some anonymously, compiled by Twitter user @SheRatesDogs, alleging more misconduct by D’Elia, including grooming.
In addition to You, D’Elia still has three stand-up comedy specials available on Netflix and is slated to star in the Zack Snyder-directed Army of the Dead for the streaming service.
