Netflix is addressing sexual misconduct allegations levelled against the author of its Young Adult hit 13 Reasons Why.
Over the weekend, Buzzfeed reported that writer Jay Asher was kicked out of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators group amid accusations that he violated the "zero tolerance" sexual harassment policy.
"We felt that terminating his [Asher's] membership was the proper course of action," the group's executive director Lin Oliver said.
"We have always been really sensitive to sexual harassment issues and have a zero tolerance policy, but clearly our policies haven't prevented violations, so we're taking this opportunity to take another look at our guidelines."
The ensuing outrage surrounding those allegations has trickled down to Netflix, because the streaming giant has adapted Asher's book 13 Reasons Why to huge success.
[13 Reasons Why]
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In a statement released on Tuesday (February 13), a Netflix spokesperson confirmed that all ties had been cut with Asher in the run-up to writing and shooting 13 Reasons Why's second season.
"Jay Asher was not involved in the second season of 13 Reasons Why,'" a Netflix spokesperson told TheWrap. "The upcoming season will not be impacted in any way."
In his own statement earlier this week, Asher insisted that he voluntarily left the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and denied any wrongdoing.
"It's very scary when you know people are just not going to believe you once you open your mouth," Asher was quoted as saying. "I feel very conflicted about it just because of what's going on in the culture and who's supposed to be believed and who's not."
The second season of 13 Reasons Why was always going to depart from Asher's vision because his entire original story was covered in the first 13 episodes.
This next instalment will be a completely new storyline carrying over characters from the first season, including Katherine Langford's ill-fated Hannah Baker.
13 Reasons Why hasn't yet set a return date on Netflix.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
