Afton Williamson, co-star of the ABC crime series "The Rookie," said she's quitting the show because of sexual harassment and racial discrimination she experienced during the show's first season.
In an Instagram post Sunday, Williamson said that throughout the filming of the show's pilot, "I experienced racial discrimination/racially charged inappropriate comments from the hair department."
Williamson said the treatment worsened when she was sexually harassed by a recurring guest star, bullied by executive producers and ultimately was sexually assaulted by a crew member at a wrap party.
ABC Studios responded later Sunday with a statement, largely referring to its production partners, Entertainment One.
"The allegations involve a production from Entertainment One," the network said. "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."
Entertainment One, in a statement of its own, said it takes Williamson's claims seriously. "We have initiated an independent investigation which is ongoing and as such, it would be inappropriate to comment at this time," the production company said.
A representative for Williamson didn't respond to messages seeking further details on the actress's claims, or whether the alleged sexual assault was reported to the police.
Williamson was also highly critical of how her claims were handled by showrunner and executive producer Alexi Hawley. Williamson said she filed reports on the incidents to Hawley, but they weren't seriously investigated by the network or shared by Hawley with other producers.
"After my initial report of sexual harassment, I was assured that the actor would be fired," said Williamson of the guest star. "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."
Representatives for Hawley didn't immediately respond to messages Sunday.
Williamson co-starred in the Los Angeles-based ABC drama. In the show, Nathan Fillion stars as a rookie police officer.
Local school staple “Lost on a Mountain in Maine” from 1939 hits the big screen nationwide
Most Maine schoolchildren know about the boy lost for more than a week in 1939 after climbing the state's tallest mountain. Now the rest of the U.S. is getting in on the story.
Opening in 650 movie theaters on Friday, "Lost on a Mountain in Maine" tells the harrowing tale of 12-year-old Donn Fendler, who spent nine days on Mount Katahdin and the surrounding wilderness before being rescued. The gripping story of survival commanded the nation's attention in the days before World War II and the boy's grit earned an award from the president.
For decades, Fendler and Joseph B. Egan's book, published the same year as the rescue, has been required reading in many Maine classrooms, like third-grade teacher Kimberly Nielsen's.
"I love that the overarching theme is that Donn never gave up. He just never quits. He goes and goes," said Nielsen, a teacher at Crooked River Elementary School in Casco, who also read the book multiple times with her own kids.
Separated from his hiking group in bad weather atop Mount Katahdin, Fendler used techniques learned as a Boy Scout to survive. He made his way through the woods to the east branch of the Penobscot River, where he was found more than 30 miles (48 kilometers) from where he started. Bruised and cut, starved and without pants or shoes, he survived nine days by eating berries and lost 15 pounds (7 kilograms).
The boy's peril sparked a massive search and was the focus of newspaper headlines and nightly radio broadcasts. Hundreds of volunteers streamed into the region to help.
The movie builds on the children's book, as told by Fendler to Egan, by drawing upon additional interviews and archival footage to reinforce the importance of family, faith and community during difficult times,... Read More