Vin Diesel replaced as voice of Groot in Marvel's What If...? Season 2 post sexual assault case

Vin Diesel is currently in the midst of battling a sexual assault allegation, levied by his former assistant Asta Jonasson. Following the same, it has now been noticed that the actor is no longer the voice of Groot in Marvel's What If...?, the second season of which just premiered. Marvel has had a straightforward policy of cutting ties with accused cast members in the past, case in point being Jonathan Majors.

Vin Diesel is no longer the voice of Groot

Vin Diesel had voiced the character of Groot in Marvel show, What If...?, the first season of which premiered back in August of 2021. Diesel however, has not returned for the second season of the show, the first episode of which was made available for streaming on December 22. Diesel has been replaced by Fred Tatasciore, with Groot's character now being relegated to a supporting role.

This comes shortly after news broke of Vin Diesel being embroiled in a sexual assault case, levied by his former assistant Asta Jonasson. While the timing of this news and Diesel being replaced come in quick succession, it has officially been clarified how there  is no correlation between the two events.

Vin Diesel is currently battling sexual assault charges

On December 21, news broke of Vin Diesel being slapped with sexual assault charges - battery to be precise. The plaintiff in question is Asta Jonasson, former assistant to the actor. Jonasson cites the timeline of the events as being in 2010 during the production of Fast Five. The lawsuit comes more than a year after the enactment of the Speak Out Act as per which victims of sexual assault and harassment can come forward even if they have signed non-disclosure agreements.

Vin Diesel's statement, issued by his legal team, states, denies the claims, saying, "This is the first time he has ever heard about this more than 13-year old claim made by a purportedly nine-day employee."