Netflix cancels ‘House of Cards’ after season 6

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By BNO NEWS

Popular drama series “House of Cards” will end after the upcoming season, Netflix announced on Monday, but sources at the company said the decision is unrelated to the allegation of sexual misconduct against actor Kevin Spacey.

The news came less than 24 hours after “Star Trek: Discovery” actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of making a sexual advance towards him in 1986, when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26. The allegation prompted speculation about the future of “House of Cards.”

A spokeswoman for Netflix confirmed that season six would be the last for “House of Cards,” which premiered in 2013 with Spacey starring as Frank Underwood. Filming for the sixth season, which is scheduled to be released next year, began shooting earlier this month.

“Media Rights Capital and Netflix are deeply troubled by last night’s news concerning Kevin Spacey,” the companies said in a joint statement. “In response to last night’s revelations, executives from both of our companies arrived in Baltimore this afternoon to meet with our cast and crew to ensure that they continue to feel safe and supported.”

Although news of the show’s cancellation was announced just hours after the allegation against Spacey, sources at the company said the decision to end “House of Cards” had actually been made months ago and is not related to any allegation. The allegation, however, prompted Netflix to confirm the news.

In an interview with BuzzFeed, Rapp said Spacey befriended him while they both performed on Broadway shows in the mid-1980s. Spacey is accused of placing the 14-year-old actor on a bed, climbing on top of him, and making a sexual advance after a party at Spacey’s apartment.

Spacey, in a statement released on early Monday morning, said he was “beyond horrified” to hear Rapp’s allegation and claimed he did not remember the encounter. “If I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior,” he said.

The actor went on to reveal that he is bisexual and has had relationships with both men and women, but that he now chooses to live as a gay man. Spacey’s inclusion of his sexual orientation, which he had declined to discuss for decades, prompted further anger.

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