After reports of on-set sexual misconduct emerged earlier this year, Jason Mitchell will no longer appear on “The Chi.”
Showtime’s co-president of entertainment, Gary Levine, revealed Friday that the series will kill off the actor’s character, Brandon Johnson for season 3.
“There is a lot of great life in ‘The Chi’ and there’s also death in ‘The Chi,’ and that’s how we’ll be dealing with it,” Levine said according to Variety during the Television Critics Association summer press tour August 2. Mitchell’s character had been abruptly removed last season.
Season 3 premiere of “The Chi” season 3 was confirmed in June, but a premiere date has yet to be announced.
After the news emerged, Mitchell spoke out for the first time since the allegations were reported earlier this summer.
“I think it’s time to make a statement,” he said in an Instagram comment under a post detailing the news. “To everyone commenting without any knowledge of what’s going please stop…and to all my supporters I appreciate you all and I’m sorry I will no longer be in the chi.. but don’t believe what you read in the media or this fake ass post.”
The development for Mitchell’s character follows accusations that emerged in May from actress Tiffany Boone, who portrays Mitchell’s on-screen girlfriend. She allegedly made repeated complaints of sexual harassment and reportedly felt so unsafe on set with Mitchell that her fiancé was on set when the actors had to shoot together. Additionally, Boone was going to leave the show, but Showtime chose to terminate Mitchell instead.
By June, Boone broke her silence on social media and thanked her fans for their support.
“I’ve never spent a lot of time on social media but I wanted everyone who has sent me positivity over the last few weeks to know I felt it,” she said in a handwritten note she uploaded to Instagram. “I am so appreciative of all the love, prayers, and support. I love you. I thank you.”
In addition to Mitchell’s allegations on “The Chi” set, similar claims have also ledger him to lose out on roles in other projects, including Netflix’s “Desperados.”
Mitchell’s alleged transgressions with the Showtime effort also led to a response from its creator Lena Waithe, who called in to “The Breakfast Club” days before Boone posted online.
“I trusted someone else to do my job,” Waithe, who brought on board a female showrunner to discourage sexual harassment in season 2, said after asserting that she was powerless during the first season of the show. “What I wanted to do was trust my showrunner at the time, and ultimately the situation was not handled appropriately.”
