House of Cards will be brought to an end after the sixth season airs, after star Kevin Spacey was accused of molesting a 14-year-old boy.
The 58-year-old apologised after Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp, now aged 46, revealed he was sexually assaulted at Spacey's apartment in 1986, when the pair were both working on Broadway play Precious Sons.
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Rapp says Spacey, then 26, picked him up and carried him to bed after a party at the residence, in what he believed was an attempt to "seduce" him. He is then alleged to have lay on top of Rapp, leaving him trying - ultimately successfully - to "squirm away".
Netflix has reportedly now canned its hugely successful House of Cards, in which Spacey played the starring role, in response to the allegations. The sixth season, which is currently in its production phase, will therefore be its last.
TV Line reports that Netflix had planned to end the show after six seasons anyway, but the timing of the announcement has generated plenty of interest.
In a statement given to Vox, Netflix and production studio Media Rights Capital said they would be holding a meeting on Monday (local time) with cast and crew, to ensure they feel safe on set. Spacey, as scheduled, will not be in attendance.
Beau Willimon, the creator of House of Cards, released a statement on Twitter following the allegation, calling it "deeply troubling".
On the release of Rapp's recount via Buzzfeed, Spacey released a statement on Twitter saying he does not remember the encounter, but acknowledged he could have behaved in the way described.
He also apologised for his "inappropriate drunken behaviour", and for the feelings Rapp has carried with him in the decades since.
However Spacey has been the subject of widespread criticism after turning the apology for molestation into a coming out statement.
In the post's second paragraph, the two-time Oscar-winning actor revealed he is "a gay man", and says keeping his personal life private has fuelled various rumours about him.
Those comments have riled many fellow celebrities and social media users, who have taken to Twitter to call out what they deem to be a poorly timed deflection that damages the gay community.
He has also been accused of using the news of his coming out as a way to distract the media and public from the very serious allegations levelled against him.
Meanwhile Rose McGowan, the most vocal of Harvey Weinstein's detractors as an alleged victim of the movie mogul's, appears to be revelling in Spacey's fall from grace.
House of Cards' sixth season will air in 2018, and will be 13 episodes in length.
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