A tongue-in-cheek petition is circulating that asks Netflix to replace Kevin Spacey on House of Cards with comic actor Kevin James. This comes after just over a week of continued sexual assault and harassment allegations levied against Spacey, which began with an accusation by Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp that a drunk Spacey had thrown him on a bed and climbed on top him in 1986, when Rapp was only 14. Spacey responded to this by saying he didn?t remember the incident, but not denying that it happened, apologizing for his past behavior, then coming out as a gay man.
Spacey was raked over the coals by many for his decision to come out via his apology, and things have only gotten worse for him since, with multiple further accusers coming forward. Spacey has even been accused of inappropriate sexual conduct by members of the House of Cards crew, which led Netflix to officially fire Spacey from the show last Friday. Earlier that same day, a report came out suggesting that Netflix and Cards producers were exploring their options as far doing a final season without Spacey, perhaps after killing off his character Frank Underwood.
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The Kevin Spacey saga is far from a laughing matter, but that didn?t stop someone named Robbie Pyma from crafting what appears to be an intentionally humorous Change.org petition requesting that Spacey be replaced on House by Cards by Kevin Can Wait star Kevin James. The petition has so far obtained over 19,000 signatures, and if it reaches 25,000, will be delivered to Netflix boss Reed Hastings. The petition includes the following note.
?Losing a great show is hard, no matter the circumstances. However with hardship come the opportunity for a great show to become one of the greatest television shows of all time. I think Kevin James can elevate ?House of Cards? to a globally adored franchise like ?Game of Thrones? and make the entire world focus on one of the most important Netfix Original series there is.?
Yeah, that?s clearly not meant to be taken seriously, unless of course Pyma holds an opinion of James? abilities that the majority of people don?t share. No offense meant to James ? who has enjoyed quite the successful career as a comedian and actor on both the big and small screens ? but he?s just about the last person most would suggest to lead an often deadly serious drama like House of Cards.
The petition doesn?t specifically say that James would need to play Frank Underwood, although the use of the word replace in the title does suggest that intent. Were House of Cards a comedy about a crooked politician, James may actually not be a bad choice for such a role. As it is though, he?s far from renowned as a dramatic actor. James has yet to comment on the petition, although one assumes he?s probably amused by it.
