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Entertainment One (eOne) has published its findings regarding allegations of racial discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual assault made by Afton Williamson, former ABC actor "The Rookie".
A statement issued by the company stated, inter alia: "As a result of the independent investigation, we concluded that the persons identified in Ms. Williamson's allegations were not behaving illegally or had demonstrated inappropriate behavior. for the workplace. It was also concluded that the executive producers, including the showrunner Alexi Hawley, had addressed issues of which they had been informed promptly, fairly and reasonably. "
eOne also said that the investigation "was commissioned by the law firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP, which hired the third-party firm EXTTI" and that it "encompassed nearly 400 hours of business. 39, interviews and examination of evidence ".
The complete declaration is below.
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In a separate statement, an ABC spokesperson said, "We are pleased that eOne has conducted an investigation into allegations concerning the entire" The Rookie ". We are confident that eOne takes these issues seriously and that they will continue to look for the best ways to publicize concerns and handle complaints. "
Williamson first revealed the allegations in an Instagram post in August, in which she exposed her allegations of intimidation, harassment and sexual assault against the head of the hairdressing department of the series, Harassment caused by an anonymous series star and "intimidation". executive producers of the show. In another post a few days later, she identified the head of the hair department as Sally Nicole Ciganovich and the guest star as Demetrius Grosse.
"Throughout the filming of the pilot, I have been the victim of inappropriate comments from the hair department and intimidation on the part of the executive producers," said Williamson in his first message. "During the season, the sexual harassment of a recurring guest star and the racist comments and bullying of the hair department continued. They then degenerated into sexual assault at our Wrap party. "
Williamson also said he repeatedly reported incidents to the show's creator and the Hawley showrunner, but that he had never addressed human resources. She also stated that Ciganovich had been fired only after reporting sexual assault "and NO [sic] for a full year of racist speech and racist remarks and bullying behavior at the entrance and exit of the Hair and Makeup trailer. "
She then stated that when she had denounced the sexual harassment on Grosse's behalf, she had been "assured that the actor would be fired." But Williamson added that she was then invited to film with the actor the next day and that she was then written in scenes. with him at the end of the season.
"I interviewed the Showrunner about it and he confessed that the actor had not been sacked or involved in human resources," she wrote. "I was asked to come back this season and I promised that" everything was settled. "The investigation had not even started yet and Season 2 had already begun to turn. I dropped it and walked in. It's now the best time in the world to be a woman and I have a platform so it's time to use my voice. "
ABC and eOne, which co-produce "The Rookie," issued statements following Williamson's initial statements, claiming that they had "opened an independent investigation" into the case. Season 2 of "The Rookie" is scheduled to debut on ABC on September 29th.
EOne declaration:
We are discussing today the findings of the open investigation following the assertions of actor Afton Williamson regarding our series The Rookie. The investigation was commissioned by the law firm Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP, which retained the services of the third-party firm EXTTI, known for its expertise in investigating allegations of harassment, discrimination and discrimination. retaliation at the workplace.
We take all allegations of inappropriate behavior very seriously, especially when they involve discrimination or sexual harassment of any kind. We appreciate the cooperation of all interviewees, including Ms. Williamson, the individuals she named by name and several other production members and relevant staff.
The investigation required close to 400 hours of interviews and examination of evidence, covering a considerable number of documents, including videos, that were provided to the investigator and reviewed by the investigator. As a result of the independent investigation, we concluded that the persons identified in Ms. Williamson's allegations did not engage in unlawful conduct or demonstrated inappropriate behavior in the workplace. It was also concluded that the executive producers, including the showrunner Alexi Hawley, had dealt with issues that they had been informed of promptly and in a fair and reasonable manner.
We recognize and respect the fact that as individuals, the lens through which we perceive situations, interactions and comments may differ according to our experiences and perspectives. As such, we regret that Ms. Williamson's time in the series was not positive for her and we respect her decision to move on to other projects.
We continue to focus on creating a safe and respectful work environment for all our business and production employees and further strengthen our policies and procedures. To protect the privacy of all interviewees, the investigator's report will not be made public.
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