Actor Michael Rainey Jr. is speaking out after being sexually assaulted while on a livestream.
On Sunday, the 23-year-old actor made an appearance on TyTy James’ Twitch livestream and was gropped by James’ sister. In the clip, the woman is seen walking into the frame to approach Rainey Jr. The groping was not seen on camera as James’ sister’s hands were blocked by the children standing in front of her, but by the actor’s reaction, the incident left him feeling uncomfortable.
Rainey Jr. reportedly left the livestream shortly after the encounter. As a result, James took to his Instagram Stories to address the situation, saying, “After the actions that occurred during my stream last night, I would like to sincerely apologize to Michael and his family for what took place.”
He added, “My little sister was completely wrong and out of line. What she did was very inappropriate and unacceptable. I am truly embarrassed and disgusted by her actions. I completely respect whatever direction Michael wants to go in this situation. After watching the clip, I was completely taken aback by what she done [sic]. I will take extreme precautions with future streams to avoid similar issues and have banned her from participating in future streams. I do not condone any type of assault.”
Additionally, Rainey Jr. spoke on the incident and shared that he is “still in shock” and can’t take the situation “lightly because I know I would be in serious trouble if the roles were reversed.”
“This is an unfortunate situation that I can’t condone in any way,” he wrote. “The fact is, sexual assault is never okay, regardless of gender or status. We’re all human, and we should respect each other. Most importantly, we should respect ourselves.”
To double down, the actor’s team also released a statement stating Rainey Jr. is “deeply saddened and shocked by the events that occurred during the TyTy James live stream this past weekend. He is still processing what happened and doesn’t entirely know how to feel about it.”
The statement continued, “This situation is not being taken lightly,” the statement continued. “Sexual harassment and assault are serious and unacceptable acts. Taking advantage of someone’s celebrity in this manner devalues entertainers and underscores the need to respect their humanity. Those who entertain us are human beings just like everyone else.”
