“Power Book II: Ghost” star Michael Rainey Jr. found himself in an “unfortunate situation” on Sunday when an appearance with a Twitch streamer went from awkward and uncomfortable to inappropriate and unacceptable.
Rainey Jr. was on TyTy James’ stream when a woman — later identified as James’ sister — entered the screen to stand next to Rainey Jr. and began groping him. When she reaches for his groin, the actor removes her hands and clearly becomes uncomfortable. A short time later, he left the stream.
The actor responded to the situation on Instagram Stories, noting that he was “still in shock” and processing everything. He also explained that he “can’t take it lightly because I know I would be in serious trouble if the roles were reversed.”
“The fact is, sexual assault is never okay, regardless of gender or status,” Rainey Jr. said. “We’re all human, and we should respect each other. Most importantly, we should always respect ourselves.”
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, James was unhappy that Rainey Jr. left the stream early and defended his sister’s behavior, saying she’d never been around a celebrity before. Okay, but has she been around people before? It doesn’t matter that he’s an actor on a popular TV series.
There is no excuse for her unacceptable behavior. It is James’ stream and his responsibility to make sure his guests are safe. People on social media immediately let him know that his response was wrong and he shouldn’t be okay with his sister groping guests on his livestream just because they’re celebrities.
The next day, James took to social media to apologize to Rainey Jr.
“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. My little sister was completely wrong and out of line,” James wrote. “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. 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.”