Afton Williamson posted a handful of words on social media after the verdict was released regarding her claims of on-set harassment and racial discrimination in The Rookie on ABC. The actress lamented that she found the decision into the investigations "heartbreaking" as the production outfit Entertainment One (eOne) concluded that no violation was made.
In her post on Instagram, Williamson alluded that there were steps taken to "deceive, lie, and cover up the truth" of what she experienced on the set of The Rookie. However, she continues to hope that her fight against injustice and discrimination would not be in vain.
"My prayer is that we get to a point in this industry where we don't just talk about it in 2-hour mandatory meetings," she wrote. "But we adhere to keeping the promises made to everyone on every set, tirelessly fulfilling their dreams with passion and dedication."
Williamson named The Rookie guest star Demetrius Grosse in her complaint of sexual harassment. She also claimed that hair and makeup artist Sally Nicole Ciganovich made "racial discrimination/racially charged inappropriate comments" about her hair. According to Jezebel, nothing was done about her complaint when she reported these to the showrunners of The Rookie.
In a statement, however, eOne said that the independent counsels they've hired to investigate on Williamson's complaints found no cause against Grosse and Ciganovich. The Rookie showrunner Alexi Hawley also reasonably addressed the situation.
Meanwhile, Hawley gave hints on how the show can move forward with The Rookie season 2 after Williamson's exit. The actress played an officer on the show who was paired up with a rookie cop, John Nolan (played by Nathan Fillion), but this latest change has opened a new opportunity.
Hawley told TV Line that there would be new obstacles for Nolan to hurdle as he will be matched up with different officers to train him. Eventually, however, they will be bringing in a new training officer.
However, Hawley has not revealed Nolan's permanent partner to replace Williamson's Officer Talia Bishop. As for Bishop, The Rookie season 2 will explain that she was transferred to a federal agency.
The Rookie season 2 will open with Nolan now six months on the job as the LAPD's oldest new cop. He feels that he's gone a lot stiffer after his first day of training, but he still needs to impress the senior officers, including a new detective played by Harold Perrineau.
The cop drama has also signed on Ali Larter as Nolan's potential latest love interest. The Rookie season 1 regulars Melissa O'Neil (as Lucy Chen) and Titus Makin (as Jackson West) are still in the new installment.
The Rookie season 2 will begin its run this Sunday, Sept. 29, at 10:00 p.m. on ABC.
