‘The Chi’ Showrunner Ayanna Floyd says Lena Waithe, the show’s creator, knew about Jason Mitchell’s misconduct and the multiple complaints filed by actresses on the show.
Michell, 32, was terminated from the show only after he was fired from Netflix’s “Desperados” for harassing 2 Mexican actresses from the moment he arrived on the set.
Mitchell, who is best known for his breakout role as the late rapper Eazy E in Straight Outta Compton, reportedly stood outside the dressing rooms of the “Desperados” actresses and made inappropriate statements.
The director’s response was swift. Mitchell was fired and replaced by another actor. His swift termination from “Desperados” prompted his slow dismissal from The Chi.
He was also dumped by his agent and manager.
Tiffany Boone, who played Mitchell’s girlfriend on The Chi, complained about the harassment on the set. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Boone made repeated allegations of sexual harassment against Mitchell and she allegedly felt unsafe on the set of The Chi.
At times her fiancé, actor Marque Richardson (“Dear White People”), came to the set when Boone shot scenes with Mitchell, according to THR.
Boone, 31, eventually asked to be released from her contract to pursue other acting opportunities.
According to Deadline, Mitchell was investigated in 2016 for body slamming an 18-year-old female on the floor of a Boston hotel room.
According to Floyd, Waithe, 35, was well aware of allegations made against Mitchell. Waithe said publicly that she knew about the complaints since season one and she was taking steps to handle Mitchell, whom she was fond of and treated like one of her boys.
“I’ve been very involved in Time’s Up and that movement, and for season two, we’re making sure that women feel safe,” Waithe told The Hollywood Reporter in June 2018. “[I]f you want to play that game and be disrespectful or misbehave on set with an actress or anyone, I’ll happily call Showtime and say, ‘This person has to go,’ and you will get shot up and it’ll be a wonderful finale.”
But Mitchell was still around when The Chi was green lighted for a 3rd season.
Showrunner Floyd challenged Waithe’s efforts to correct Mitchell’s behavior.
“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.”
Mitchell’s character, Brandon, didn’t die in a hail of gunfire in season two, instead, Floyd says Waithe pushed for a Black female Showrunner to smooth over concerns on the set.
Season one Showrunner, Elwood Reid, declined to comment, but a source told THR that he was unaware of the complaints against Mitchell.
Floyd said she quickly became a target of Mitchell’s rage.
“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.”
In a statement after Boone departed the show, Waithe said, “I think Tiffany is a wonderful actress and an extremely brave woman. I wish her nothing but success in the future. I look forward to getting back to work on season three.”
Waithe did not respond to The Hollywood Reporter‘s request for a comment. The openly lesbian Emmy winner has previously protested the prevalence of “heteronormative” gender roles in today’s society.
Photos by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images, Amy Sussman/Getty Images, David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Has ze show been cancelled and is POWER still on?
This is not good for Lena. This is business. Can’t be letting aggressive sexual harassers run amok, even if they are your friends. She could lose everything she has worked hard for because dude couldn’t hold himself together.
To me it seems like she’s so busy trying to appease the gay mafia. Everything seems to be over the top with her and her lifestyle. I don’t know… she doesn’t sit right with me. If this allegation is true, she is culpable as well.
Lena didn’t want to fire him because maybe she emulates said behaviors that he exhibits (see pic above)?
Of course she know. There was no way she wouldn’t know. But oh the goo gads of people that stood up for her saying she didn’t know or probably didn’t know. Ummm hmmm. And my name is really HR Puff n Stuff. Most of these women probably went to her to voice their concerns and she blew them off (no pun intended on this one, maybe the next one).
“bros before hoes” is how she lives, tho. She’s the homie.
These abusive azz so called friends will ruin ya …. Quicksand … You will end up drowning in the mess with them …….
How in this me too era did this nigga think harassing women on set or really anywhere was okay???
What a loser, and I never liked waithe’s energy.
Saw this last night. As I said, if she knew and aint do shit she can kick rocks and get cut off. She totally screwed over other BLACK women with her blind indifference. If someone would have been on that set calling folks a d**ke or a f** she would have made it into WWIII over a gay issue. Yet Black women get violated and she is cricket status silent and turning a blind eye AND ear. Lena: Girl Fukk you . https://media0.giphy.com/media/4GIvR6cmYs8jC/giphy.gif
Damn shame. Folks need to stop protecting predators, period. It doesn’t matter if that’s your brother, cousin, best friend, or boss. If your homeboy on some grimey ish, call him the fugg out!! If you don’t, you’re part of the problem.
The same applies everywhere in the entertainment industry, CBS knew about Les Moonves, NBC Matt Lauer, PBS knew about Charlie Rose,Hollywood Knew all about Harvey Weinstein the list goes on and on all they care about are ratings and profits.
OFFTOPIC – Yesterday, the question was rasied who is Lauren baby “futher”
He looks about 56 and is from Baltimore I presume
Google Lauren baby shower Baltimore Vernon….
Exactly !!! A big part !!
she better call up Ava real quick cuz she’s about to be Lee Daniel’ed..
But men stick together sis.
https://media0.giphy.com/media/GgFS3pRvtdP7W/giphy.gif
I’m mad he’s a verb now. “Watch out! Don’t wanna get Lee Daniel’ed up in here!” ?
I second this!!
I’ll say this…I’m not surprised AT ALL. A lot of gay women who like to identify with men condone men disrespecting women in any way. They too also adopt the behavior. Man, woman, or child….she ain’t shit if she turned a blind eye. PERIOD!
Lena is all about her same sex equal rights anything else she don’t care.
You can tell y’all come here and don’t read the write ups, just go off the headlines and go off … lol
I need that Prince shirt Lena is wearing
I will never forget I went to a Wash Mystics game once, was given the tics, no disrespect and them lesbians in attendance were super aggressive with the cat calling etc when I went to the ladies room.
Not surprising… Too many people think it’s ok for men to talk to women as if they’re objects of their sexual pleasure… Ol girl wants to be one of the guys so of course she didn’t stick up for women.
Just close Hollywood down.
Yes it’s too much protection!
GUILTY! https://media1.giphy.com/media/xT77Y0CoGA6Nu24PzW/giphy.gif
But I’m getting better at reading the headlines, THEN the comments, THEN the write up. #indatorder LOL
Lmao
he thought Lena could provide him with erection, if not complexion protection.
This headline isn’t much different from the actual write up though.
I would have “ranned” outta there crine. No disrespect but (some) butch/studs scare the begeezus out of me.
I can kinda understand where Lena was coming from. Jason carried ‘The Chi’ with his brilliant acting performance. He SLAYED every scene he was in and was SO believable. It will not be the same without him.
Not to say I’m condoning his behavior. But from my experience this is not the first time this will happen on a set and won’t be the last.
And she thinks she’s one of the men.
LOL.
Unfortunately this happens at every job in the world.
…..and burn it.
Ouch!!
LOL
I’m willing to bet that Lena and Jason might have passed the dutchie between them
SPEAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I see what you did there. ?
I’m so disappointed to read this article. I held Lena to a higher regard in terms of female empowerment. But now it looks like she’s like an honorary sexist dude rather than a strong woman.
How did she let a black actress get run off the show but in the same breath with the sister well in future work? That’s so cruel.
Lena was supposed to have corrected the work environment and save that girl’s job, My god, her behavior was so male, worse yet, so white male.
I dont like Lena and never have…she comes off as an opportunist who can never admit she is wrong (the met gala jacket fiasco)…she gives me Lee Daniels money by any means necessary vibes….
I dont like Lena and never have…she comes off as an opportunist who can never admit she is wrong (the met gala jacket fiasco)…she gives me Lee Daniels money by any means necessary vibes….
Okay and now he’s gone. Do they all want to be unemployed? If there’s no other inappropriate activity going on under Lena’s nose, they should all move on.
Okay and now he’s gone. Do they all want to be unemployed? If there’s no other inappropriate activity going on under Lena’s nose, they should all move on.
His short azz was running around the sets thinking he was in NOLA with the “Hey Red let me holla at you” “Let me get that out ya”
His short azz was running around the sets thinking he was in NOLA with the “Hey Red let me holla at you” “Let me get that out ya”
She does…she’s so quick to brag about “stealing” her gf/wife from a man…
She does…little does she know they probably snicker behind her back…she is not a man and will never be a man….just because she straps on a dyck to peg her gf dont make her a man…
I feel for Tiffany because people will dislike her because Jason Mitchell got fired, and not due to her complaints.
He harassed two Mexican actresses, and was immediately replaced, but Tiffany will take the heat for the demise of his career!
Never knew their names or cared before this, loved their characters, and for an Black actress to ask to leave such a plum role, says how awful it was for her!
Me too hasn’t really hit black culture the way it’s hit white Hollywood. Also, white feminists hijacked “me too” because they were left feeling powerless and defeated after Trump won the election. The movement became their retribution to powerful white men. Women who’d slept their way to the top were now claiming rape, coercion, and assault…
Tiffany’s fiance was supposed to put the fear of God in Jason. I know my man would’ve, he does not play about me.
And all its contents…
Yeah, Lena was thinking about the show because Jason carried the show scene by scene, second to “Big Poppa!”
And, Jason is yet another super talented, frustrated, disturbed artist!
I hope Ava Duvenay can work with him, after he completes his reality check!
Not sure about the cancellation but Power comes back on in August. (The 25th)
Since Lena came to the forefront before her cutting her hair I was tired of her vibe and aura of the look at me selfish loud and wrong persona. Sooooo I’m Ray Charles with her
One of her son huh..that explains a lot.
You’re right it happened to me and more than once. I’m a different type they could shake me…the only time they could is when they got physical with me. That broke me…scared me.
I do industry stuff, they don’t care. Rick Ross asked did his friend (our play brother) brings my sister as his gift and told me who I was you going with. No TF she’s not your gift and I ain’t going nowhere. But these girls get caught up in money and famous. Get your own money! One artist breached our contract because I wouldn’t sleep with him. That was a big contract. Booty shouldn’t stop you from doing real business. That’s why that ass got robbed a month later. A-hole!!!
Former show runner! But the big wigs wanted him around that is the only reason he was kept. Not because Laithe wanted to keep him. Showtime wanted him. Although now the female who played his girl should sue showtime.
I was just thinking this. As hard as it is for black actors and actresses, for Tiffany to request to be let out of a prime role and hit TV show…he must’ve been chasing her around that set like a wolf.
LOL
This is so indicative of how the ‘Community’ continues to treat Black women. As long as this predator was only harassing black women, he still had a job. They wanted to manage the situation. But the moment he forgot that he’s a nugga, and starts chasing the non-black tail, it’s a wrap.
Ion know if it mattered the race of the women… The threat to their pockets lit fire under their asses… Just like it always does. Nobody cares until it affects their coins
Absolutely
Hence MEN stick together.
Her man looks like he is here for the sh***. (Mr. Soon said that this weekend when he was getting back in the car after he confronted this man cuz he got a little flip with me. I was tickled and turned on at the same darn time!) I’m surprised Jason tried it.
This sounds a lot like Columbus Short. Cocaine once again.
That’s crazy. And he must’ve been so blatant about it, w/no fear of being admonished in any way. He must’ve ran that set. He knew he was the star of the show, cool w/Lena, so he felt invincible.
This has been going on all along, from season 1. We didn’t hear anything about it until he was fired, but apparently he was a problem from day 1. The behavior itself didn’t affect the coins and prompt action until he wandered off the reservation.
Your last sentence summed up this entire situation. Lena’s busy wanting to be & thinking she is a man. All cool w/Jason; how can she then try to reign him in, when she’s trying.g to be him.
Lmao
i can actually picture this.
but i don’t understand how he thought his behavior made sense.
THIS, THIS, & THIS….
That’s how dudes act down here. They Hey Red me and I’m every bit of caramel. Tuh?
Also, she said she was “working on” getting Jason in line. Exactly what was she doing to achieve that? B/c what ever it was, wasn’t working.
Lee Daniel got what he deserved. I wasn’t feeling the way things went w/Monique. And he’s arrogant
I wonder if some of that harassment is Nawlin’s charm. Them hot boys call out body parts, don’t know whether to smack or kiss dudes from the Bronx and L.A. dudes will call their women b*ch like it’s hello. Trifling all the way around, do better.
So, he harassed a (I’m assuming) Black American woman for two seasons. Has a history of assault. Became hostile to production staff, and god knows who else. The victims reported his to superiors. HR was aware of the behavior, and none of them gave a F…. Because he isn’t reprimanded at The Chi/Showtime.
He then, tries that same ish w/latino actresses, which resulted in an immediate dismissal. If this is true, ALL the woman from The Chi who were impacted by him should sue the production executives, production company, and the network .
My boss swept ish under rugs for his children and relatives too and that was the downfall of his empire. Went from 5 daycares to 0 when he passed because of unfair practices of his family
Something about this dude is off. And I’m not talking about Jason
of course she did-she’s just a big piece of shit as he is. i really cant stand something about this coonish woman
This! It’s like they’re free to harass black women as much as they want. There’s only consequences when it comes to precious non black women.
That part??
she knew….she was just buying time before it hit the fan…..
I don’t think this was a situation where only the “non-black women” were protected. Netflix has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to sexual harassment – allegation or otherwise. I remember when Aziz Ansari was *accused* of misreading a consensual situation, and he was still f*red from his own show (“Masters of None”). Of course, those allegation (Aziz’s) were later proven to be much ado about nothing, but his career with Netflix was still ruined and the girl couldn’t even prove that something inappropriate happened, just that she felt uncomfortable with their *consensual* encounter ?. Point being, Netflix will fire you off of allegations and it doesn’t have to be true.
But, with this guy, he had a history of allegations with two separate networks, and two separate actresses, so they probably (Showtime) decided that dude wasn’t worth the trouble.
ImI sure that Sir Lena was sexually harassing the women as much as him. No way a straight woman who’s in charge will tolerate that
I would have kicked him in his balls when they said, “Action”! and I would have put his business out while filming,,…LOL….I would have made sure that his balls will hurt for a week…,LOL….Talk crazy to me or touch me and see what happens…..Larry H. Parker…You know the story,,,.LOL
IKR like why are you so stupid sir? Plain stupidity!
*giggles*
he fawked around and got da both of his shows snatched offa the air
I thought it, you said it. Can’t stand her uglass. No man was gonna fuck her goon-looking ass anyway so she had to switch sides. Women are more forgiving in the looks department.
Everybody knew. The higher ups knew too.
Lena is an asset to black film, I ain’t throwing her away over this.
Bingo!
I’m wondering the same.
Only ignant folks could be upset with her. As a black woman, I believe her and know all too well what it feels like to be ignored.
In that case, “wuzzam Red?”
LOL. “Wuzzam” is like saying good morning ?
(*short for ‘what’s happening’)
Aww ? Poppa’s character is so great!
Sad!
You’re so right!
The way they hated Rihanna about Chris Brown.
Yeah I can’t believe he did it because he’s such a stand up guy on the show. I’m disappointed because the show won’t be the same.
I want more of this story. Your boss ran 5 daycares so was the swept under ish child abuse?
Nope it was straight up harassment. No charm and the bw he worked with are culturally aware of charm even crass charm vs harassment.
That’s why it took so long for R. Kelly to be held accountable.
Lena is the big wig tho. And she literally said “if” that ever happened she would terminate contracts and kill the character but then rehired him for 3rd season after his characters counterpart quit the show bc of his harassment. Lena wanted him there.
No mismanaging money living the high life while paying people poorly and his families treatment of employees and parents lead to the demise.
The gay mafia has taken over. Look what they did to Kevin Hart.
Yep, ?
She gives me, “musty to keep the act up” after gym tease in woodsy colognes?
My goodness, someone brave enough to call this. She puts on a tough and revolutionary exterior but she’s in complete cahoots with the establishment. The situation in this article proves it.
Exactly.
How much of an asset to let a black actress she employed be run off the show and out of a job due to known sexual harsssment.
LOVE Power.
I was thinking the same thing or atleast she didn’t see a problem with it until her back was up against the wall. She seems like she is a pompous ass herself and felt like she didn’t have to fire her boy on her own show. especially when he was a main character. But I think with the way this season is going we can all predict what’s going to happened to him. This dude needs to get help or he is going to end up doing some time or worst. He already ruined his career by being fired from two shows around the same time and of course they would be a fool to try and pick him up for something else unless its all men on the cast. He going to have to sit back and take a couple years off if he has any chance of recovering from this.
Exactly! And I bet her butch ass will listen the next time something like this happens.
lol I feel for her tho, it’s bad enough just working with someone who is an sexual harassing asshole but to play a role where you are his girlfriend and you have to kiss him and be affectionate? that’s serious acting and the feeling of disgust on her part. I wonder did he get a hard on and that pissed her off too?
CTHU @ Pompous ass…I use that word very frequently to describe people.
https://media2.giphy.com/media/65ODCwM00NVmEyLsX3/giphy.gif Coonish woman!
So I’m thinking that crazy ass guy who bought him the food truck will ultimately be the one to kill him because maybe he no longer wants that man’s help or to be indebted to him. This is the theory I’m going with for him to be written off the show.
I love the little boys they are super adorable except for the drug dealers brother he irritates me!
She(Lena Waithe)always seemed fake woke to me!
LOL yea man. That Jake is a mess!
She could’ve done more, however Showtime isn’t her business.
I am pro Ms. Boone as well! The fact that she complained, production even went to HR, BUT nothing changed until Mitchell does this to white women speaks volumes.
they always know…
Holla!!! ya riht about that honey. lesbians yikes
Lol
lol