Kevin Spacey has already been relieved of his TV show, much of his reputation, and at least one of his many acting awards over allegations that came to light this week, centered on an incident in which he allegedly made sexual advances against actor Anthony Rapp when Rapp was only 14. Now, it looks like some networks are scrambling to scrub the prolific icon from the pop-culture landscape itself; according to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC’s hit drama This Is Us was forced to cut a reference to Spacey from tonight’s episode.
The line in question would have fit into a flashback scene in tonight’s outing, with Justin Hartley’s character, Kevin—then a young, 20-year-old actor— learning that his roommate has been cast in a film opposite Spacey, with the roommate inviting young Kevin to come to a party being thrown by the film’s director. The scene was shot before the accusations against Spacey came to light, but the race to remove references to the actor’s current scandal do suggest we’re in for a weird time in the coming weeks, as movie fans are forced to reevaluate their feelings about the famous and popular actor and his central role in the entertainment world in light of Rapp’s accusations.
