Writer and actress Lena Waithe is done working with former The Chi star Jason Mitchell. The 32-year-old actor was fired from the show amid sexual misconduct allegations.
Mitchell was cut from Waithe’s TV drama and from the cast of Netflix movie Desperados amid claims of inappropriate behavior, which led to him being dropped by his talent agents and managers.
At first Waithe defended her friend, who proclaimed his innocence, insisting he did nothing wrong.
The Straight Outta Compton star issued a public apology and promised to undergo therapy and counseling.
While Waithe acknowledges Mitchell’s efforts to improve his inappropriate behavior, she now insists her priority has to be ensuring the safety and well-being of her female cast and crew on set.
The male-identified lesbian says she can’t see herself collaborating with Mitchell on any future projects.
“I’m for the people – I’m for black women. I’m a person who is all about supporting us and making sure we’re good and we feel safe,” she shared on New York radio show The Breakfast Club, according to WENN.com.
“I couldn’t then have a whole conversation with you and then still be like, ‘Oh yeah, if he (Mitchell) ever wanted some (work), it’s all good.’ To me, it’s also about changing your behavior… I can’t align myself with someone who’s (faced misconduct allegations).”
Waithe, who tied the knot with her longtime girlfriend earlier this year, has since hired “intimacy coordinators” to mentally prepare actors for intimate sex scenes on every project she’s involved in.
“For me, I feel like I’ve grown so much from it and I’ve evolved so much because of it,” she explained.
