Robert De Niro’s Company Claims Ex-Employee Watched 55 Episodes of ‘Friends’ on the Clock
According to a $6 million lawsuit, De Niro’s former assistant watched 55 episodes of the show in just four days while on company time.

Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
Robert De Niro’s company has filed a $6 million lawsuit against a former employee in part for watching 55 Friends episodes—about 20 hours worth—while on the job. According to the suit, Chase Robinson, De Niro’s one-time assistant (later promoted to “vice president of production and finance”), spent “astronomical amounts of time” watching Netflix while on the clock, at one point watching 55 episodes of Friends in just 4 days. During another four-day binge, Robinson allegedly made it through 20 episodes of Arrested Development and 10 episodes of Schitt’s Creek. De Niro’s company, Canal Productions, has also accused Robinson of misusing millions of the actors’ money. Over a two-year period, Robinson allegedly spent exorbitant amounts of unauthorized money on hotels, restaurants, high-end grocery stores, including $8,923.20 at Dean and Deluca and Whole Foods, ride shares totaling up to $32,000, and passed off De Niro’s frequent flyer miles f0r personal trips. To top it off, when Robinson resigned in April, she allegedly penned her own recommendation letter that De Niro refused to sign, according to the lawsuit.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.