Netflix fires exec over Masterson comment

Netflix has dismissed its director of global kids’ content after the executive made a controversial remark to one of several women who have accused The Ranch star Danny Masterson of rape.

Andy Yeatman

Andy Yeatman’s exit comes after a Huffington Post article published last week detailed a conversation Yeatman had during a children’s soccer match with a woman who had asked him why Netflix had not taken action against Masterson.

Yeatman reportedly told the woman “we don’t believe them,” referring to the four women who had come forward with allegations of sexual assault against Masterson. The woman Yeatman was talking to then revealed that she was one of Masterson’s accusers.

Masterson has denied the allegations, which are currently being investigated by The Los Angeles County District Attorney and the LAPD. The attacks are alleged to have occurred in the early 2000s.

Netflix issued a statement last week calling Yeatman’s comments “careless, uninformed” and unrepresentative of the views of the company.

The streamer has since fired Masterson from The Ranch and now Yeatman has followed the actor out the door. A spokesman for Netflix confirmed to C21 that Yeatman was no longer employed by the company.

Yeatman was due to make an appearance at the Children’s Global Media Summit in Manchester, UK, last week but did not travel to the event.

The exec had been with Netflix since 2011, having joined from the digital distribution department of The Walt Disney Company. He recently discussed the streaming giant’s growing slate of children’s content at MipJunior in Cannes in October.

This followed Netflix hiring Melissa Cobb, chief creative officer of DreamWorks Animation’s Chinese joint venture, to lead its kids’ and family content team as VP of kids and family.