Netflix scraps upcoming prank show starring Chris D’Elia

It comes after numerous claims of sexual harassment and misconduct were made against the comedian

Netflix has announced that it has pulled the plug on an upcoming prank show starring comedian Chris D’Elia.

The news comes after numerous claims of sexual harassment and misconduct were made against the actor last month. D’Elia has denied all allegations.

According to Deadline, D’Elia had just finalised a deal with the streaming giant to make the show with his best friend and fellow comedian Bryan Callen when the allegations surfaced. 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.

The first allegations against D’Elia were made online on June 16 after a woman named Simone Rossi accused the comedian of “grooming” her when she was 16, while tweeting screenshots of alleged interactions she’d had with D’Elia.

“Imagine being 16 and being groomed by a stand-up comedian twice ur age and the only reason you never met up and never got physically molested was because u had just gotten a boyfriend ur own age,” she wrote on Twitter.

Chris D’Elia
Chris D’Elia has denied claims of sexual harassment and misconduct. CREDIT: Getty Images

D’Elia, 40, denied that he had “knowingly” pursued underage females, emphasising that he’d only engaged in “legal and consensual” relationships.

“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,” D’Elia said in a 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.”

He continued: “That being said, I really am truly sorry. I was a dumb guy who ABSOLUTELY let myself get caught up in my lifestyle. 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.”

Despite Netflix’s decision to scrap D’Elia’s new show, the streaming service still has three of his stand-up specials – Incorrigible (2015), Man on Fire (2017) and No Pain (2020) – available in its library.

He also stars in the second season of the show You, in which he plays a man who menaces a 15-year-old girl. However, his character Henderson was killed off and won’t be appearing in season 3 of the show.

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