Jason Mitchell has been dropped from the Showtime series The Chi, his management company and his talent agency following allegations of misconduct by several women, including former co-star Tiffany Boone and Season 2 showrunner Ayanna Floyd.
Show creator Lena Waite has been vocal about wanting to create a safe and professional work environment for women on the set of the series, last year telling The Hollywood Reporter, “I’ve been very involved in Time’s Up and that movement, and for season two, we’re making sure that women feel safe. [I]f you want to play that game and be disrespectful or misbehave on set with an actress or anyone, I’ll happily call Showtime and say, ‘This person has to go,’ and you will get shot up and it’ll be a wonderful finale.”
Floyd, however, said everyone involved in the series, including Waithe, was aware of the Straight Outta Compton actor’s behavior.
“When I took the helm in season two, it was Lena who informed me of the issues between Jason Mitchell and Tiffany Boone from season one, and that Tiffany was thinking of leaving the show because of it,” Floyd said in a statement to THR. “As a result of this information, I discussed Tiffany’s claims with the studio’s HR department and set up HR presentations for the writers, cast and crew. Ultimately, everyone was well aware of Jason’s behavior and his multiple HR cases, including Lena, the creator and an executive producer of the show, who is very involved at the studio and network level.”
“As showrunner,” she continued, “I did everything I could to deal with his behavior, by speaking with the studio’s HR department multiple times and instructing one actress to call HR herself, before I became a target of his rage and inappropriateness, and had to report him to HR, as well.”
A source close to Waithe said she wasn’t made aware of Mitchell’s alleged harassment until after the first season wrapped. The Emmy-winner also released a statement in support of Boone, saying, “I think Tiffany is a wonderful actress and an extremely brave woman. I wish her nothing but success in the future. I look forward to getting back to work on season three.”
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