The Rookie Star Afton Williamson Leaves Sequence, Alleging On-Set Racism and Sexual Misconduct

ABC’s The Rookie might be down a sequence common heading into its second season, as actor Afton Williamson introduced over social media on Sunday that she is not going to reprise her position as Officer Talia Bishop. Williamson blamed her departure on alleged cases of “Racial Discrimination/Racially Charged inappropriate feedback,” culminating in a sexual assault at a wrap celebration that she felt was insufficiently addressed by producers.

“All through the filming of the pilot, I skilled Racial Discrimination/Racially Charged inappropriate feedback from the hair division and bullying from Government Producers,” Williamson wrote Sunday of the Nathan Fillion-led sequence. “In the course of the Season, it continued together with Sexual Harassment from a recurring visitor star and the racist commentary & bullying from the Hair Dept. Head escalated into Sexual Assault at our Wrap celebration.”

Williamson claimed that her complaints to government producer and showrunner Alexi Hawley had been in the end not investigated and even recorded with HR, and he or she was repeatedly requested to proceed filming with the visitor star in query. Not solely that, however “The Hair Dept. Head was fired ONLY after the sexual assault and NOT for a whole 12 months of outward racism/racially charged language and bullying conduct out and in of the Hair and Make-up trailer.”

Moreover, Williamson claimed that the one hint of an investigation concerned a gathering with Hawley, producers, her agent and SAG-AFTRA union rep following The Rookie’s Season 2 renewal. In that occasion, “It was clear to all current within the assembly that the Showrunner had not shared my studies with the any of the producers.”

Neither manufacturing studio Leisure One nor ABC have commented on Williamson’s submit. (Vainness Honest has reached out to each for remark.) When information of her departure from the present first broke on July 26, showrunner Hawley informed TVLine, “It’s probably not my place to get into her private determination.”

On the finish of her submit Williamson wrote, “The investigation hadn’t even begun and Season 2 had already began filming. I turned it down and I walked. Now’s the perfect time on this planet to be a girl and I’ve a platform so it’s time to make use of my Voice.”