‘This Is Us’ Removes Kevin Spacey Reference From Episode 6, ‘The 20’s’
This Is Us writers are timely—even when they’re writing scenes set in the past. Producers for the hit NBC drama promptly removed a reference to Kevin Spacey from the most recent episode in the aftermath of sexual harassment allegations against the actor. The reference to Spacey was originally part of the Oct. 31 This Is Us episode “The 20’s,” but producers felt it would be inappropriate to keep it in light of the firestorm surrounding Spacey, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The This Is Us episode in question was shot several weeks before actor Anthony Rapp accused Spacey of making sexual advances toward him at a party in 1986 when he was 14 years old. The Netflix star posted a controversial statement in which he denied recollection of the incident but blamed it on drunken behavior. In the same statement, Spacey publicly came out as gay.
The This Is Us episode “The 20’s” originally included a reference to Kevin Spacey in a flashback scene to 2008 that featured struggling twenty-something actor Kevin (Justin Hartley). In the original scene, Kevin learns his roommate landed a role in a film starring Spacey and he is invited to a party being held by the film’s director for the cast, which presumably would have included Spacey.
In a statement about the episode, 20th Century Fox Television announced: “In light of recent events, the producers have decided to remove the brief reference to Kevin Spacey.”
This is not the first time a This Is Us script has included a timely reference. In the Season 2 premiere episode, “A Father’s Advice,” Hartley’s Kevin Pearson made a joke about how the Kardashian family seems to multiply. In the scene, Sophie (Alexandra Breckenridge) informed her boyfriend Kevin that she couldn’t fly to Los Angeles for his birthday, admitting that she was disappointed she would have to miss out in a potential Kardashian sighting at the famous sisters’ favorite smoothie shop. Kevin responded by telling his girlfriend the Kardashians “are like gremlins.”
“The Kardashians aren’t going anywhere,” the This Is Us character said. “They’re like gremlins. I promise by next week there will be a bazillion more of them.”
The day after the This Is Us episode aired, it was announced that Khloe Kardashian is pregnant. The Kardashian pregnancy news came just days after rumors surfaced that Khloe’s sister Kylie was expecting and a month after Kim Kardashian West announced she was having a third baby via a surrogate.
Looks like This Is Us writers are really good at predicting the future—and erasing the past.
Take a look at the after-show for the This Is Us episode “The 20’s,” below.
This Is Us airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
[Featured Image by Ron Batzdorff/NBC]
