Former Survivor contestant Dan Spilo departs Industry Entertainment after controversy on Alan Ritchson's Runner movie set

Manager Dan Spilo steps away from Industry Entertainment, the management company he co-founded, following a controversy on set with one of his high-profile clients, Alan Ritchson. The professional breakup between the Reacher star and his longtime manager was reported by The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, May 8, 2025, citing that things got heated between them.

In another exclusive report, published on Friday, May 9, the outlet cited a statement from the remaining Industry Entertainment partners about ousting Dan Spilo following an alleged incident between him and Ritchson on the Runner set. It reads:

"Industry Entertainment is committed to providing a safe and respectful working environment. We take very seriously the recent allegations of inappropriate conduct on the set of the film Runner related to Dan Spilo, and are conducting a thorough investigation."

In the same statement, they said that the company asked Spilo to "step away" and that he agreed. They also added that they have "zero tolerance for harassment, abuse, or misconduct," and are now "conducting a thorough investigation" about what transpired on the Runner set.

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Stars Alan Ritchson and Kal Penn part ways with manager Dan Spilo amid Runner controversy

Besides being Alan Ritchson's manager, Dan Spilo also attaches himself as a producer in four of Ritchson's upcoming movies, including Runner, an action drama by Scott Waugh, which also stars Owen Wilson. According to The Hollywood Reporter on May 9, the incident between Ritchson and Spilo happened last week on the Australian set of Runner.

There were mentions of things getting heated between the two and the manager leaving the set. He will also not get producing credit for Runner. Moreover, a May 9 Deadline report mentioned that the Reacher star fired Spilo from his team at the time after at least one incident on the set.

The outlet also cited sources claiming that Spilo's behavior included bullying and yelling at the crew, ending in an HR investigation. On Friday, May 9, Spilo shared a press statement acknowledging his "unacceptable and unrecognizable" behavior and subsequent firing from Industry Entertainment. He said:

"I take full responsibility for my actions and am stepping back from work to focus on my mental health. During production, I was warned I was having a nervous breakdown, but I kept pushing through, which was a mistake."

He further said:

"My behavior was unacceptable and unrecognizable to me, and while there's no excuse, I'm committed to understanding and addressing the personal issues that led me here."

While Dan Spilo said that he wasn't expecting forgiveness, he was hoping that the controversy wouldn't define the entirety of his career. The manager-producer also said that moving forward, he will focus on his healing and doing the work to be better.

Besides Ritchson, actor Kal Penn has reportedly cut ties with Dan Spilo, according to Deadline. According to the outlet, sources close to the actor said that his decision to part ways from his manager came before Spilo's scandal broke the internet, but after he heard through the grapevine what happened on the Runner set overseas.

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The Runner scandal wasn't the first of Dan Spilo's controversies over inappropriate conduct. In 2019, he joined Survivor: Island of the Idols, but was removed from the project after an accusation of inappropriate touching was made by a female fellow contestant.