Not long after Michael Rainey Jr.’s appearance on a recent livestream from Tylil James, a.k.a. TyTy, turned into a moment of what many have called nonconsensual groping, 50 Cent chimed in on the incident.
Rainey Jr., who appears in 50's Power Book II: Ghost, was seen in a clip making an uncomfortable facial expression when approached and seemingly inappropriately touched by someone who is claimed to be the streamer’s sister.
"Wait sexual assault 😟 from a male perspective this was an aggressive advance. LOL HE’s fine no charges are being pressed. 🤷🏽♂️," 50 wrote in an Instagram post about the situation.
A variety of commenters took 50 to task. "Men can get assaulted too, normalize the discussion," wrote one user. Another told the mogul, "Bad take. He was clearly uncomfortable. Roles reversed it would be nasty work."
At the time of writing, it is not clear if charges have been pressed.
50's comments come after 23-year-old Rainey Jr. on Monday issued a statement via Instagram about the uncomfortable moment, saying that he was "still in shock."
"At this point, everyone has seen the video circulating online. I am still in shock and don't fully know how to process what happened last night," he wrote via an IG Story. "This is an unfortunate situation that I do not 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. We're all human, and we should respect each other. Most importantly, we should always respect ourselves."
James also took to social media to address his sister's part in what led to Rainey Jr.'s uncomfortable reaction and abrupt departure from their livestream, saying that the "energy shifted" and made him "feel a way." James added that while he's around celebrities often the same isn't true for his sister. Though he didn't outright condemn his sibling's behavior, he did assure that he'll "just check her."
Rainey Jr.'s work on Power Book II: Ghost has come to an end for now, as the final season is set to air in the near future. The actor recently spoke to Complex about looking forward to "a new chapter" in his career after 10 years in the Power universe. The full conversation can be read here.
