Afton Williamson Quits ‘The Rookie’ Over “Racial Discrimination” And “Bullying”

Afton Williamson of ABC’s ‘The Rookie’ has announced that she will not be returning to the series because of bullying, racial discrimination, and the lack of response by production.

Williamson recently shared a post on Instagram featuring a drawing of her character, TO Talia Bishop and a caption explaining her reasons behind walking away from a second season of ‘The Rookie.’

“I will not be returning for Season 2 of The Rookie,” she wrote. “I owe it to you my amazing fans to share the Truth. Throughout the filming of the pilot, I experienced Racial Discrimination/Racially Charged inappropriate comments from the hair department and bullying from Executive Producers.”

Her caption continued, “During the Season, it continued along with Sexual Harassment from a recurring guest star and the racist commentary & bullying from the Hair Dept. escalated into sexual assault at our wrap party.”

ABC Studios said in response to Williamson’s claims, “The allegations involve a production from Entertainment One. In late June, eOne made us aware and informed us that they launched an investigation that is ongoing. The safety of working environments is a top priority for us, and we take this matter very seriously.”

In a separate statement, eOne said, “We take claims of this nature very seriously. We have initiated an independent investigation which is ongoing, and as such, it would not be appropriate to comment at this time.”

Last month, TVLine exclusively reported Williamson’s split from the ABC cop show before its second season. At the time, the split was reported to be “amicable.”

Her character, Talia Bishop, was a prominent character throughout the first season of ‘The Rookie,’ as the title character John Nolan’s (Nathan Fillion) TO.