Netflix cancels D’Elia’s show over claims from women

A month after Chris D’Elia was accused of sexual impropriety by multiple women, Netflix has decided not to proceed with a prank show featuring the comic.

In June, numerous women came forward on social media claiming that the stand-up comedian had acted inappropriately toward them. D’Elia, 40, denied that he had “knowingly” pursued underage females, emphasizing that he’d only engaged in “legal and consensual” relationships.

When the allegations surfaced, D’Elia had only just closed a deal with Netflix to make a show with one of his best friends, fellow comedian Bryan Callen. The nonscripted series was to focus on the relationship between the two comics and their affinity for pulling high jinks, according to sources familiar with the deal. But the show had yet to go into production, and when D’Elia came under fire Netflix scrapped the show, a spokesperson for the streaming network confirmed.

Neither D’Elia’s lawyer nor Callen’s agent immediately responded to requests for comment.

D’Elia still has a number of projects available to stream on Netflix: three of his comedy specials, in addition to the second season of the show You, in which he played a sexual predator. He is also set to appear in Army of the Dead, a Netflix movie directed by Zack Snyder that was filmed prior to the allegations and is still slated for release in 2021.

Last month, five women — two of whom were not yet 18 when D’Elia apparently suggested they meet up or “make out” — discussed in an interview some of the claims they’d first made about the comic on Twitter. One young woman said that D’Elia told her he would only meet her if she first performed oral sex on his friend; two others alleged that he exposed his erect penis to them.

Since the women came forward, Callen has appeared conflicted about his friendship with D’Elia.

The actor, 53, appears on the ABC sitcom The Goldbergs and also starred in its spinoff Schooled, which was cancelled in May.