"Power" star Michael Rainey Jr.'s alleged sexual assault on a livestream is resurfacing debates over gendered power dynamics in sexual assault. The 23-year-old appeared on "The Tylil Show" livestream on Twitch Sunday, June 9.
During the broadcast, a woman, who was later identified by host Tylil James as his sister, appeared to abruptly enter the frame and place her hand on Rainey's crotch for several seconds in a room with James, children and other people present, as seen in clips from the stream circulating online. Rainey appeared to tighten his posture and then proceeded to move her hand away, according to the clips. The actor reportedly left the stream soon after the incident.
TODAY.com has not independently verified the video and did not hear back from the woman identified as James’ sister at the time of publication. Rainey — who currently leads the fourth and final season of "Power," the hit Starz crime drama — and James both responded to the incident on their social media platforms, with Rainey writing a message on his Instagram story on June 10, that he was “still in shock” and didn’t “fully know how to process what happened.
” "The fact is, sexual assault is never okay, regardless of gender or status," he added. James, who reacted to the incident while on the stream, seemingly downplayed the moment, attributing his sister's behavior to her inexperience with being around celebrities. “I’mma just check her, tell her you don’t gotta be on that,” he.
