Actress Afton Williamson Quits “The Rookie”, Claims She Was Sexually Harassed & Racially Bullied On Set

Actress Afton Williamson Quits “The Rookie”, Claims She Was Sexually Harassed & Racially Bullied On Set

Following “The Chi’s” Tiffany Boone, Afton Williamson is the latest actress to speak out about being mistreated on the set of a major network television show. She starred as the cop Talia Bishop on ABC’s “The Rookie,” which she recently revealed she left. In a lengthy Instagram post, she claims racial discrimination, sexism, and sexual harassment, and negligence after alerting higher ups of the incidents.

Her official statement reads:

“@therealaftonw I will not be returning for Season 2 of The Rookie. I owe it to you my amazing fans to share the Truth. Throughout the filming of the pilot, I experienced Racial Discrimination/Racially Charged inappropriate comments from the hair department and bullying from Executive Producers. During the Season, it continued along with Sexual Harassment from a recurring guest star and the racist commentary & bullying from the Hair Dept. Head escalated into Sexual Assault at our Wrap party.The Sexual Harassment though reported directly to the Showrunner/EP remained undocumented and was not reported to HR as promised. The Hair Dept. Head was fired ONLY after the sexual assault and NOT for an entire year of outward racism/racially charged language and bullying behavior in and out of the Hair and Makeup trailer. HR protocol was never adhered to following the above reports given by me to my Showrunner/EP and an investigation was never issued for any of my claims. The only time I was asked to participate in an investigation was after a meeting I called in June following our Season 2 announcement. This meeting included the Showrunner and two other producers as well as my agent and SAG-AFTRA Union Rep. It was clear to all present in the meeting that the Showrunner had not shared my reports with the any of the producers.”

She, later, revealed that her perpetrator was not fired after her reported incident – prompting her to leave the show.

“After my initial report of sexual harassment, I was assured that the actor would be fired. I was also asked to film with him the very next day as a courtesy to the script, even though we had not begun filming the episode yet. This actor reappeared on our call sheet at the end of the season, I was even written in scenes with him. I asked the Showrunner about this and he admitted to me that the actor had not been fired nor had he gotten HR involved. I was asked to return this season, and promised that “everything was handled.” The investigation hadn’t even begun and Season 2 had already started filming. I turned it down and I walked. Now is the best time in the world to be a woman and I have a platform so it’s time to use my Voice. Strength comes from within. It comes from Above. “Greater is He that is within Me than he that is in the world”

Both studios responsible for the show – ABC and eOne Entertainment – have issued statements since Afton’s announcement. An ABC Studios spokesperson told Fox News:

“The allegations involve a production from Entertainment One. In late June, eOne made us aware and informed us that they launched an investigation that is ongoing. The safety of working environments is a top priority for us, and we take this matter very seriously.”

eOne issued this statement to The Hollywood Reporter:

“We take claims of this nature very seriously. We have initiated an independent investigation which is ongoing and as such, it would not be appropriate to comment at this time.”

Meanwhile, this incident is no sweat off Afton Williamson’s back. She’s promoting her appearance in Angela Bassett‘s Netflix film, “Otherhood.”

What do you think of the ongoing mistreatment of Black actresses?

Written by Miata Shanay