Netflix executive apologizes for saying the company didn't believe Danny Masterson accusers

In this March 24, 2014 file photo, actor Danny Masterson arrives at the Youth for Human Rights International Celebrity Benefit in Los Angeles. (AP)

Andy Yeatman, the man fired from his job at Netflix after saying that the streaming service’s executives didn’t believe the four women accused one of its stars of rape, has penned a lengthy apology for his statement.

As previously reported, Yeatman was fired from his role as director of kids and family content for Netflix after he was approached by a stranger at his daughter’s soccer game. He was asked why the company hadn’t taken any action against Danny Masterson, who was co-starring on “The Ranch” at the time. Masterson has been accused of rape by four women, news which had just broken at the time of the conversation.

In a lengthy guest post in The Hollywood Reporter, Yeatman explains that, in an effort to end the conversation quickly and refocus on his daughter, he explained that it’s possible the reason no action was taken was because the executives don’t believe the accusers in this case. The stranger revealed herself to be one of the anonymous accusers and walked away.

The Ranch Season 2

“I realize now that my words on that Los Feliz soccer field inadvertently reinforced the widely held and well-founded belief on the part of sexual assault victims that people in power presumptively do not believe them. I have always strived to be thoughtful and conscientious,” he wrote. “But in that brief moment, I came up short and unintentionally spilled salt on some very real wounds. I apologized for this at the time and take full responsibility for it today.”

When his comment very quickly made its way to an article in The Huffington Post, Netflix was quick to denounce the statements as those of one employee that was uninformed on the matter given that his position offered him absolutely no insight into the inner workings of “The Ranch.” Yeatman noted in his apology as well that he had absolutely no idea what the situation was behind-the-scenes at all. Despite his attempts to apologize and walk back his statement, Yeatman was fired along with Masterson.

“When I was asked to write about what happened, I was conflicted. I had already relived the incident so many times. More importantly, I had experienced firsthand how a single comment can take on a life of its own online. I was nervous (and still am) but ultimately decided there was value in sharing what I have learned,” he wrote. “For me, the most important lesson is that the pain caused by sexual assault and other forms of abuse is far more widespread than I had imagined.”

Although he was let go from his position on the Netflix show, Masterson continues to deny all allegations of rape against him.