“So I’ve never talked about this publicly because it has always been incredibly important to me to protect Issa,” Seales said of her former costar.
Amanda Seales has addressed the rumor mill surrounding her and Issa Rae’s alleged falling out, saying that she felt Rae didn’t “empower” her.
Seales and Rae were costars on HBO’s Insecure — and while speaking to Shannon Sharpe on the Club Shay Shay podcast, Seales shared her side of the story.
“So I’ve never talked about this publicly because it has always been incredibly important to me to protect Issa,” Seales told Sharpe. “Because I know that Issa is doing something within this business that so few people get to do. And it’s not something I desire to do. I’m not interested in getting a $100 million production deal. That’s not a life that I want for myself. But I know that her role is very important.”
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Seales said the root of the beef began when Rae’s publicist — Vanessa Anderson — allegedly kicked Seales out of an Insecure event in Hollywood.
She then claimed Rae called her two days after the incident, insisting she had nothing to do with the situation and requesting her to discuss what happened with Anderson. However, when Anderson and Seales got on the phone together, Anderson allegedly said Rae did not like Seales.
The fallout began to create rumors online, with some apparently labeling Seales a “mean girl,” said the actress.
“I just want to point out something very basic. How can I be a mean girl on a set that ain’t my set? How? It’s your show. You are my boss,” Seales said on the podcast. “I don’t even have the capacity to be the mean girl here because you can fire me.”
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According to Seales, her relationship with Rae suffered from there and, during the filming of Insecure, she felt her relationships with fellow costars did the same.
“Everybody knows what’s going on. They don’t say nothing to me. And that’s just f—ing mean. It’s mean,” she said.
Things took a turn for the worse when Seales claimed Rae came “at me one time too many,” while filming of the show’s finale.
“She wasn’t empowering to me. She didn’t feel like I was needed,” Seales added. “She didn’t feel like I deserved to be protected. I’m only giving a portion of the situation. But that was my experience. And nonetheless, I have still always protected her because I felt like it was my responsibility to do so. But it is not.”
We have reached out to both Vanessa Anderson and Issa Rae for comment.
Watch Seales on the podcast below.
