Chris D'Elia
photo via Chris D'Elia Facebook

'Workaholics' episode where Chris D'Elia plays a child molester removed from Hulu, Comedy Central, Amazon Prime

Comedian/actor Chris D’Elia was recently accused of grooming, harassing, and soliciting nudes from minors by several women, five of which have since given more detailed accounts of their allegations to the Los Angeles Times. One of the women, Laura Vitarelli, alleges that D’Elia groped her and a friend, repeatedly offered them alcohol, and exposed himself to them in 2015, when Vitarelli was 18 and her friend was 20. According to Vitarelli, she and her friend then quickly left the room and told the story to a male friend, who confirmed this to the LA Times.

D’Elia denies “knowingly [pursuing] any underage women at any point” and says “all of my relationships have been both legal and consensual and I have never met or exchanged any inappropriate photos with the people who have tweeted about me. That being said, I really am truly sorry. I was a dumb guy who ABSOLUTELY let myself get caught up in my lifestyle. That’s MY fault. I own it.”

Following the allegations, Hulu, Comedy Central, and Amazon Prime have removed the episode of Workaholics where D’Elia plays a child molester. Variety reports:

Hulu and Amazon Prime currently offer all seven seasons of “Workaholics” for free, but the episode is no longer available on either platform. On Hulu, the episode has disappeared entirely, and on Amazon Prime a message says “this video is currently unavailable” and doesn’t give an option to play it.

A Comedy Central spokesperson confirmed to Variety that the episode had been removed from all of the company’s platforms. D’Elia’s 2013 comedy special “White Male. Black Comic” is no longer available through Comedy Central either.

Netflix — where D’Elia has three stand-up specials and also stars in You as a pedophile — has not yet publicly responded. The LA Times reported that You showrunner Sera Gamble and Netflix both declined to comment for their article.

Whitney Cummings, who co-starred alongside D’Elia in NBC’s Whitneyresponded to the allegations, writing, “It’s taken me a couple days to process the information I have learned about Chris. I’m devastated and enraged by what I’ve read and learned.”

“This is a pattern of predatory behavior. This abuse of power is enabled by silence. Now that I’m aware, I won’t be silent.”

“Girls should be able to be a fan of a comedian they admire without becoming a sexual target,” Cummings continues. “It’s the adult’s responsibility to be an adult.”

This story may still be developing.

UPDATE: D’Elia was also dropped by CAA.

If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline 24/7 at 800.656.HOPE (4673). More info at RAINN.org.