Afton Williamson dropped out of The Rookie after season 1. On social media, she explained how racism and sexual harassment led to her departure
Afton Williamson is best known for her role as Police Officer Talia Bishop in the crime comedy The Rookie. In season 1, Talia Bishop acted as the instructor of main character John Nolan – a hugely important role in the series. However, Williamson decided to leave the series after the first season. She can therefore only be seen in 20 episodes.
In the first episode of season 2, it is revealed that Williamson’s character has left the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) behind. She has become a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
But what were the reasons for leaving? Afton Williamson’s departure was followed by a messy mud-slinging. She revealed many details to the public about the causes and consequences of her decision. We summarize what happened in an ultimate explanation.
You’ll find out in this article:
The reason for Afton Williamson’s exit
The consequences
The result of the dispute between Williamson and the production company
Whether a return of Afton Williamson in The Rookie would be possible
Why Afton Williamson left The Rookie after just one season
Afton Williamson spoke openly about her exit on her Instagram account. According to her, there were several reasons why she left the series:
During the filming of the pilot, I experienced racial discrimination and racially charged, inappropriate comments from the hair department and bullying from the executive producers.
During the season it continued with sexual harassment from a returning guest star, Demetrius Grosse, and the racist comments and bullying from the head of the hair department, Sally Ciganovich, escalated to sexual assault at our graduation party.
The alleged sexual harassment by Demetrius Grosse is particularly surprising. This is a fellow actor of Afton Williamson: He played Kevin Wolfe in The Rookie, a detective with the LAPD.
Like Afton Williamson, Demetrius Grosse was no longer seen after season 1. Williamson was even offered the chance to continue in season 2. But she turned down this offer.
Afton Williamson’s allegations were not taken seriously
According to Williamson the producers responsible are said to have failed to provide sufficient clarification. Although the complaints were recorded by showrunner Alexi Hawley, they were not reported to the HR department.
The actress was also unhappy with the terms of Sally Ciganovich’s dismissal – Ciganovich is said to have made racist comments. She was also alleged to have committed a sexual assault, but the production team only cited the assault as the reason for her dismissal. The racism that Williamson is said to have endured for a year therefore played no role.
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The dismissal was followed by a sexual harassment complaint against Williamson’s colleague Demetrius Grosse. She is said to have been assured that Grosse would be fired during the first season. But those responsible did not keep their promise: Grosse continued to come to the set as normal and Afton Williamson even had to shoot scenes with him
This is how the dispute with the production company ended
Afton Williamson stood by her accusations. The Entertainment One production company responsible had her allegations investigated by an independent institution, which examined around 400 hours of video material, including various interviews.
In September 2019, the company concluded that there was no evidence to support Afton Williamson’s allegations. The independent investigation found no evidence of unlawful conduct. The showrunner Alexi Hawley, who according to Williamson did not forward the complaints, also acted fairly and appropriately.
Williamson responded again with a message on her Instagram account:
‘It’s heartbreaking for everyone on set, past and present. And for every actor out there standing up against harassment and discrimination, assault and injustice. As a Black woman, as an artist, as an actress, in 2019, speaking my truth, standing up for myself and leaving an unsafe work environment has changed things for a lot of people.
Is a return of Afton Williamson possible?
Afton Williamson is not idle. After leaving The Rookie, she appeared in the Netflix film Otherhood (2019) and the crime drama Still Here (2020). There are currently no known projects in which she is involved. She would therefore have enough time to return to The Rookie – in theory.
However, we don’t expect to ever see Williamson in The Rookie again. There’s no indication that she trusts The Rookie execs again. And showrunner Alexi Hawley is still one of the people in charge of the series. He was the person Williamson didn’t feel taken seriously by and who allegedly didn’t pass on her complaints.
