Actress Afton Williamson announced in a lengthy Instagram post on Sunday that she will not return for the second season of the ABC cop drama “The Rookie,” accusing the show’s hair department head of repeated instances of racial discrimination and sexual harassment that she said went ignored by the showrunner despite her complaints.
In the Instagram post, Williamson accused the show’s hair department of “Racial Discrimination/Racially Charged inappropriate comments” and also accused the show’s executive producers of bullying her on set.
She also accused showrunner Alexi Hawley of not passing on her complaints to human resources and said that the hair department head — whom she did not identify by name — was only fired after a “sexual assault” incident she said she suffered at the show’s wrap party.
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In addition, Williamson also accused an unnamed recurring guest star on the show of sexual harassment and said she was required to film scenes with him even after she filed complaints about his behavior.
“The only time I was asked to participate in an investigation was after a meeting I called in June following our Season 2 announcement,” Williamson wrote. “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.”
“After my initial report of sexual harassment, I was assured that the actor would be fired. […] This actor reappeared on our call sheet at the end of the season, I was even written in scenes with him.”
Hawley, ABC and “The Rookie” production studios ABC Entertainment and eOne did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s requests for comment. ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke is scheduled to speak with reporters on Monday during the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour.
Read Williamson’s full Instagram post below.
Reid Nakamura contributed to this story.
11 Lowest-Rated Broadcast TV Shows of the 2018-19 Season That Have Been Renewed – So Far (Photos)
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Fun fact for TV shows on the bubble: You don’t have to have stellar ratings to get renewed. Yes, Nielsen numbers are a big part of the decision-making process when the broadcast networks choose which series to get rid of and which to keep, but they aren’t everything. Each year, plenty of shows which fair modestly in the key demo squeak by. Scroll through the TheWrap’s gallery to see the 11 lowest-rated TV shows of the 2018-19 season that have been renewed by Fox, ABC, CBS, and NBC — so far. All ratings in this story come from Nielsen’s “most current” data, which includes a week’s worth of delayed viewing where available. Lowest-rated is first, highest-rated last. And, yes, there are ties. Readers can see the complete list of all the broadcast TV shows that have been renewed, canceled and ordered here.
Also Read: Here’s the Complete Fall 2019 TV Schedule for All 5 Broadcast Networks
ABC/NBC/CBS
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Series: “Fresh Off the Boat” Net: ABC 18-49 rating: 0.9
ABC
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Series: “Bless This Mess” Net: ABC 18-49 rating: 0.9
ABC
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Series: “Blindspot” Net: NBC 18-49 rating: 0.9
NBC
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Series: “Madam Secretary” Net: CBS 18-49 rating: 0.9
CBS
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Series: “Bob’s Burgers” Net: Fox 18-49 rating: 1.0
Fox
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Series: “MacGyver” Net: CBS 18-49 rating: 1.0
CBS
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Series: “Good Girls” Net: NBC 18-49 rating: 1.0
NBC
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Series: “Single Parents” Net: ABC 18-49 rating: 1.1
ABC
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Series: “Man With a Plan” Net: CBS 18-49 rating: 1.1
CBS
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Series: “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” Net: NBC 18-49 rating: 1.1
NBC
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Series: “The Blacklist” Net: NBC 18-49 rating: 1.1
NBC
Here are the series with not-so-stellar Nielsen numbers that were picked up again by Fox, CBS, ABC and NBC
Fun fact for TV shows on the bubble: You don’t have to have stellar ratings to get renewed. Yes, Nielsen numbers are a big part of the decision-making process when the broadcast networks choose which series to get rid of and which to keep, but they aren’t everything. Each year, plenty of shows which fair modestly in the key demo squeak by. Scroll through the TheWrap’s gallery to see the 11 lowest-rated TV shows of the 2018-19 season that have been renewed by Fox, ABC, CBS, and NBC — so far. All ratings in this story come from Nielsen’s “most current” data, which includes a week’s worth of delayed viewing where available. Lowest-rated is first, highest-rated last. And, yes, there are ties. Readers can see the complete list of all the broadcast TV shows that have been renewed, canceled and ordered here.
Also Read: Here’s the Complete Fall 2019 TV Schedule for All 5 Broadcast Networks
