Afton Williamson’s Brave Exit From ‘The Rookie’: Star Quits Show Over Sexual Assault and Discrimination During Season 1
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In Season 1 of The Rookie, Talia Bishop played by Afton Williamson starred opposite Nathan Fillion. Since then, Williamson has never returned to the ABC crime drama. After experiencing alleged racial discrimination, bullying, and sexual harassment on set, actress Afton Williamson left the show. On August 4, 2019, she released a statement revealing “the truth” about her departure. In Williamson’s report, she reported the sexual harassment directly to Alexi Hawley, the showrunner and executive producer, but the allegations weren’t documented or reported to HR as promised. Independent investigations were conducted by the production studio behind The Rookie after Williamson’s allegations became public.
According to Entertainment One’s statement in September 2019, The independent investigation has determined that the individuals identified in Afton Williamson’s allegations, no one has not acted in an unlawful manner or demonstrated behaviours inappropriate for the workplace, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Rookie follows the story of John Nolan, an aspiring police officer in his 40s who inadvertently helped police stop a bank robbery, ABC’s hit police drama The Rookie is set in Los Angeles, California. Based on a true story, the Alexi Hawley-created series tells the tale of William Norcross, who moved to L.A. in 2015 and also started working there in his 40s.
As A Result Of Sexual Assault And Discrimination During The Rookie Season 1, Star Afton Williamson Quits The Show
The Rookie’s first season featured Afton Williamson (The Night Of, Banshee) as LAPD Officer Talia Bishop. She trained Nathan Fillion’s character John Nolan, who after surviving a bank robbery became the oldest rookie in the Los Angeles Police Department. It appeared Bishop would stay for the entire run of the show since her ultimate goal was to become a detective and then chief of police. Williamson departed the show at the beginning of Season 2, the second — but not the last — main cast member to do so. During the filming of The Rookie, the actor faced racism, bullying, and sexual harassment, and her character, Bishop, was cancelled. I won’t be returning to The Rookie for Season 2. Williamson announced this on Instagram. I owe it to you, my amazing fans, to tell you the truth. The hair department made racially discriminatory/racially charged inappropriate comments to me during the filming of the pilot, and executives bullied me. During the season, it continued along with sexual harassment from a recurring guest star and racist comments and bullying from the Hair Department which culminated in sexual assault at the wrap party. Despite reporting the harassment to showrunner Alexi Hawley, Afton Williamson’s complaint remained undocumented and was not reported to HR.
The actor said that despite the firing of the show’s hair department head, assaults and bullying continued on the set until the wrap party. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment One, the studio behind The Rookie, takes claims of this nature very seriously. At this time, it would not be appropriate to comment as an independent investigation has been initiated. According to EW, the investigation of The Rookie found no wrongdoing. According to the studio, those identified in Ms. Williamson’s allegations did not act unlawfully or demonstrate behaviour inappropriate for the workplace. The executive producers, including showrunner Alexi Hawley, also addressed matters promptly and in a fair and reasonable manner when they were informed. Afton Williamson’s Instagram post stated that she was offered a chance to return as Bishop for Season 2 of The Rookie; however, she opted not to do so. After the results of the investigation were made public, she added in an Instagram follow-up: The fact that the lengths of deceiving, lying, and concealing the truth were so much greater than those of protecting and maintaining a safe working environment saddens me the most. Everyone on that set must be heartbroken.
