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Power Book ll: Ghost star Michael Rainey Jr. says he's "still in shock" after being sexually assaulted on a live stream.
On Sunday (June 9), Rainey appeared as a guest on a Twitch stream hosted by TyTy James. Video from the stream that circulated on social media showed a woman entering the frame and reaching toward Rainey's groin area.
Rainey appeared uncomfortable as he looked around the room. The woman left the frame, and the actor exited the stream shortly after.
As video of the incident went viral, Rainey addressed the incident on his Instagram Story.
"At this point, everyone has seen the video circulating online,” Rainey wrote. “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,” he continued. “We're all human, and we should respect each other. Most importantly, we should always respect ourselves.”
In a statement, James apologized for the actions of the woman, who he said 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 said. “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,” he added. “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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