Tiffany Boone Opens Up About Quitting “The Chi” After Allegedly Accusing Jason Mitchell Of Sexual Misconduct: If I Didn’t Speak Up, Others Would Be Silenced
Tiffany Boone Opens Up About Quitting “The Chi” After Allegedly Accusing Jason Mitchell Of Sexual Misconduct: If I Didn’t Speak Up, Others Would Be Silenced
Former “The Chi” actress Tiffany Boone is addressing her exit from the hot Showtime series in November 2018. On Monday (Feb. 17th), Boone took to her Instagram explaining what made her speak up to alleged harassment from her former co-star Jason Mitchell.
In the extensive statement, she described hearing about Mitchell’s firing from “The Chi.”
“In full transparency, I was aware that some news was coming, but work had allowed me to focus elsewhere. I’d heard whispers that my previous co-star had been fired from a new project and subsequently fired from the show we worked on together. … I had finished my time on The Chi in November of 2018 and had already been working on a new series for several months.”
Her statement continues on why she decided to come forward,
“You don’t carelessly leave a ‘hit show’ that is praised by your community. I deeply love Chicago and the people of that city who have embraced me. I felt honored and privileged to be part of telling their story. The weight of what I was leaving behind felt like a ton, but the weight of my responsibility to speak up was even heavier.”
Boone later adds,
“However, once we started filming, I quickly realized that not everyone was interested in creating a work environment that was conducive to each person feeling safe, seen and heard. I felt that if I didn’t speak up, other voices that were trying to be heard would be silenced.”
Despite her multiple conversations with HR resulting in nothing, she requested to be released from her contract.
“It was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever made,” she said. “With all that said, I know that people expect to hear the details of everything I encountered along this journey. I completely understand that desire. At this time, I am not in a place where I am comfortable sharing any more than I already have.”
As previously reported, Mitchell has since denied all allegations and hinted that the allegations were a cover-up for Boone accepting another role elsewhere. Jason Mitchell says,
“Well, it’s crazy ’cause there actually was no situation with Tiffany Boone. Shout out to Tiffany Boone, by the way, too, because she was put in a position. Because this lady, Ayanna Floyd-Davis, she did come out and go to Deadline, and made a statement for Tiffany Boone; also, I guess, said some things about ‘Desperados,’ and she had a lot to say. But she was the only person that ever made a statement at all. So I was a little taken back by the whole situation that happened, but the actual reason I got let go was because Disney saw what was going on with ‘Desperados,’ and they just bought Showtime. So they decided not to pick up my option, and of course I’ve been on the show for – what was about to be – three seasons. I was nominated for an award, so I was asking for more money, and all these different sorts of things. So they weren’t down to do it.”
In addition, Mitchell went on to blame the entire debacle on “The Chi” showrunner, Ayanna, claiming that Tiffany Boone never filed complaints against him,
“Tiffany’s never went to HR! Tiffany’s never made a statement- she’s never done any of those things…I feel like it was a thing that came from Ayanna.”
Mitchell was subsequently dismissed from the Netflix film “Desperados” and was dropped by his representation across the board.
What are your thoughts on Tiffany Boone’s statement? Let us know in the comments!