Yahoo News Michael Rainey Jr. is ‘still in shock’ after being groped on Twitch livestream: ‘I can’t take it lightly’
“The fact is, sexual assault is never okay, regardless of gender or status,” the "Power Book II: Ghost" star wrote on social media.
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Michael Rainey Jr. at the "Power Book II: Ghost" season 4 premiere in NYC on June 6Michael Rainey Jr. is processing after being inappropriately touched without his consent on a livestream.
On Sunday, the 23-year-old Power Book II: Ghost star made a guest appearance on a Twitch stream hosted by TyTy James. At one point in the video — which has since circulated on social media — a woman can be seen entering the left side of the frame and reaching toward Rainey’s groin area, which is blocked from the camera by a child standing in front of the actor. Rainey reacts with an uncomfortable expression and looks around the room before the woman leaves the frame. The actor left the stream shortly after the incident.
Rainey released a statement about the situation via an Instagram story.
"At this point, everyone has seen the video circulating online,” he said. “I am still in shock and don’t know how to fully process what happened last night. This is an unfortunate situation that I can't condone in any way. I 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,” the actor continued. “We're all human, and we should respect each other. Most importantly, we should always respect ourselves.”
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James shared a statement on Instagram as well, apologizing to Rainey for the behavior of the woman in the video, who he says is his sister.
"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,” he said. “What she did was very inappropriate and unacceptable. I am truly embarrassed and disgusted by her actions.”
The streamer said he supports however James opts to respond to the incident.
“I completely respect whatever direction Michael wants to go in this situation,” he said. “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.”
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