Actor Michael Rainey Jr. speaks out on alleged sexual assault during Twitch stream
Instagram: Michael Rainey Jr.Michael Rainey Jr. and TyTy James have issued public statements following an incident in which Rainey Jr. was allegedly inappropriately touched by a woman during James’ Twitch stream.
On June 8, appearing as a guest on a Twitch stream hosted by TyTy James, Rainey Jr. was approached by a woman who proceeded to reach out toward his groin area.
The incident is partially obscured from the camera by a nearby child, however, Rainey’s face and reaction can still be seen.
Shortly after, the Power Book II: Ghost star released a statement about the situation on Instagram.
Instagram: Michael Rainey Jr.“At this point, everyone has seen the video circulating online,” Rainey Jr. began. “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.”
TyTy James later shared a statement of his own on his Twitter, apologizing to Rainey for the actions of the woman in the video who he went on to reveal was 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,” James admitted.
“What she did was very inappropriate and unacceptable. I am truly embarrassed and disgusted by her actions.”
The streamer then added that he would “completely respect” Michael in whatever way he wanted to move forward with handling the incident and vowed that he would “take extreme precautions with future streams to avoid similar issues and have banned her from participating in future streams.”
James ended his statement by doubling down on the notion that he does not “condone any type of assault.”