Rapper 50 Cent is known as a person who can make a joke out of anything, but many think his recent joke about the star of his “Power Book II: Ghost” show, Michael Rainey Jr., was tone-death and insensitive. Rainey appeared to have been groped by a young woman during a live stream on June 10. In the stream, he looked uncomfortable but managed to keep his cool.
The incident made its way all over social media, with people saying that Rainey was sexually assaulted. Rapper 50 Cent, on the other hand, decided that he wanted to make light of the situation. In a now-deleted Instagram post, 50 Cent posted a screenshot of Rainey’s incident with the caption, “Wait sexual assault [emoji] From a male perspective this was an aggressive advance. LOL HE’S fine no charges are being pressed [emoji].”
Though 50 Cent thought it was a joke, others didn’t, and they called him out for his lack of awareness. 50 Cent has continuously made jokes about Diddy’s several sexual assault allegations, and he recently was at a Miami event to support the domestic violence hotline.
The fact that 50 Cent came out and said Michael Rainey (Tariq from Power) was NOT sexually assaulted and that’s he’s fine when he clearly felt uncomfortable and immediately left when that girl touched him in his private parts is part of the problem in todays society. Women can be… pic.twitter.com/GRg0CbbWy2
— Tamorah Shareef Muhammad (@ModestyQueen19) June 10, 2024
This is the same 50 cent who’s supposed to be exposing Diddy for predatory behavior. He’s such a charlatan and opportunist. https://t.co/wDEH8ATz9f
— Kyla Jenée Lacey (@Kyla_Lacey) June 11, 2024
Of course, 50 cent dismissed Michael Rainey Jr. the lead in one of his shows being sexually assaulted ON CAMERA.
But some of y'all put him on a pedestal when it comes to Diddy. His motivations are strictly personal. He does not gaf about victims of domestic & sexual violence.
— 🪩 MADAM THIQUE & COZY 🪩 (@ABitOfKwansLife) June 10, 2024
Did y’all see 50 Cent response to Michael Rainy Jr situation? His response is exactly why men are not always able to recognize what sexual assault is and why more women aren’t held accountable for these actions because their taught “it’s just a sexual advance” when it’s a man!!
— Dainy🇹🇹 (@_dainyyy) June 11, 2024
The footage of the incident shows streamer Tylil’s sister walking up to Rainey and groping him around his crotch. It was reported that Rainey left soon after the incident. The day after, Tylil apologized for his sister’s action on Instagram.
🚨on a live stream Tylil’s sister sexually assaults Actor Michael Rainey Jr best known for the role of Tariq St. Patrick on Power and Power Book II: Ghost. Looking very uncomfortable after He abruptly left the stream 20 minutes later. pic.twitter.com/EqGVao2KjG
— J Wise (@JWiseKingRa) June 10, 2024
“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,” Tylil wrote. “My little sister was completely wrong and out of line. 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.”
Rainey also released a statement, saying “I am still in shock and don’t fully know how to process what happened last night. 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.”
