Lena Waithe Releases Statement About Jason Mitchell Allegations On “The Chi” Set

Last week, news broke that actor Jason Mitchell had been dropped from The Chi and an upcoming Netflix film Desperados, along with being fired by his agent and manager. The wave of bad news surrounded allegations of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct by his The Chi co-star Tiffany Boone and the show’s second-season showrunner, a woman named Ayanna Floyd. Both women filed complaints against Mitchell, but Floyd claims that no one, not even The Chi‘s creator Lena Waithe, did anything about Mitchell’s behavior and let it continue.

Floyd spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about her experience, saying that multiple complaints were sent to Human Resources. Even so, Mitchell was still slated to appear in season three. “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,” says Floyd. “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.”

Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Floyd continued, “As showrunner, 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.” Waithe issued a statement of her own, but she only focused on Boone. “I think Tiffany is a wonderful actress and an extremely brave woman,” she told THR. “I wish her nothing but success in the future. I look forward to getting back to work on season three.”