Why did Afton Williamson leave The Rookie?

The character Talia Bishop was written out after the actress quit

The Rookie fans will remember that actress Afton Williamson portrayed Talia Bishop in season one of the cop drama, but the star did not return for season two after she made the decision to quit in 2019. 

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Fans were shocked to hear the news at the time, find out more about the reasons below…

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Who was Talia Bishop on The Rookie?

Starring opposite Nathan Fillion's John Nolan, Afton played the role of Talia Bishop throughout season one. Talia was a member of the LAPD and worked closely with John as his training officer. 

Talia, who was known as Bishop, had a goal of sticking around and becoming a detective, but did not return when new episodes began in 2020.

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Why did Afton William leave The Rookie?

After the news of her departure broke, Afton spoke out and stated she had been subjected to racism, bullying, sexual harassment and assault. In a statement, she said: "Throughout the filming of the pilot, I experienced Racial Discrimination/Racially Charged inappropriate comments from the hair department and bullying from Executive Producers."

She added: "During the Season, it continued along with Sexual Harassment from a recurring guest star and the racist commentary & bullying from the Hair Dept. escalated into sexual assault at our wrap party."

Following the accusations from Afton, Entertainment One, the company that produces the show, put out a statement saying: " We take claims of this nature very seriously. We have initiated an independent investigation which is ongoing and as such, it would not be appropriate to comment at this time."

An investigation took place and eOne stated that third party investigators had found "no inappropriate behavior" had taken place in their report.

Afton labelled their decision "heartbreaking" and said on social media at the time: "It's heartbreaking for everyone on that set; past and present. And for every actor out there who stands in the face of harassment and discrimination, assault and injustice."

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