Why did Afton Williamson leave The Rookie? Real reason explored

When Afton Williamson departed from the ABC police procedural drama series The Rookie after its debut season, it surprised the show’s increasing fan base. Williamson portrayed LAPD Officer Talia Bishop, one of the central characters in the show, who served as a training officer under Police Officer John Nolan, portrayed by Nathan Fillion.

Transitioning from a training officer to the oldest rookie in the fictional LAPD, Bishop had a long-term goal of becoming a detective and then a Chief of Police. Given this trajectory, Williamson’s character seemed likely to remain a fixture throughout the series.

However, before the sophomore season's airing, Williamson had already announced her departure from The Rookie. In an Instagram post, she cited racial discrimination, sexual harassment, and bullying as reasons for her exit from the show.

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Afton Williamson revealed the real reasons for leaving The Rookie

In the season 2 premiere episode titled Impact, it was revealed that Talia Bishop had departed from the LAPD to join the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) as a special agent. Despite this narrative shift in the show, Bishop has not re-appeared or made a cameo appearance since the beginning of the second season.

However, Afton Williamson’s character leaving The Rookie has far deeper reasons than a career change, as depicted and referenced in the show.

In an Instagram post shared a month before the pilot episode of the sophomore season, Williamson announced her departure from the show. Accompanying the post was a caricature image of her character, Talia Bishop, alongside a detailed caption in which Williamson candidly addressed the reasons for her exit. She wrote:

"Throughout the filming of the pilot, I experienced Racial Discrimination/Racially Charged inappropriate comments from the hair department and bullying from Executive Producers."

Williamson further added:

"During the Season, it continued along with Sexual Harassment from a recurring guest star, Demetrius Grosse, and the racist commentary & bullying from the Hair Dept. Head, Sally Ciganovich escalated into Sexual Assault at our Wrap party."

The former The Rookie star also mentioned that she reported the s*xual harassment to the series’ showrunner, Alexi Hawley. However, Williamson stated that it has "remained undocumented and was not reported to the HR as promised."

Williamson further pointed out that Ciganovic was only fired after the s*xual assault and not for her racism and “bullying behavior” toward the actress, which allegedly happened throughout the year. She further noted that she was given the guarantee that “everything was handled” and was “assured that Grosse would be fired” but that it didn’t happen.

The Rookie cast (Image via David Livingston/Getty)

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Afton Williamson departed The Rookie due to inappropriate conduct by fellow actors and crew members, as well as the production's alleged neglect of her complaints. However, she wasn’t the only one to leave the show.

Mercedes Mason, who played Commanding Officer Zoe Anderson, also left the show during the first season due to “creative” reasons. Titus Makin Jr., known for his role as Police Officer Jackson West, exited the show during the season 3 finale, citing concerns about police behavior against people of color following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020.

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The Rookie is set to conclude season 6 on May 21 and is expected to return for season 7 sometime in 2025.