50 Cent is very vocal on social media, but sometimes, it gets him in hot water. On Monday (June 10), the New York rap legend responded to an unsettling incident involving “Power Book II: Ghost” actor Michael Rainey Jr., who was groped on a live broadcast.
In a viral moment captured during Tylil’s stream, Rainey was inappropriately touched by the internet personality’s sister. In a now-deleted Instagram post, 50 Cent initially downplayed the severity. He commented, “Wait, sexual assault? From a male perspective, this was an aggressive advance. LOL, HE’S fine. No charges are being pressed.” The caption was accompanied by a shocked face and shrug emojis.
Reactions to the G-Unit founder’s remarks were overwhelmingly negative, to say the least. Social media users went as far as harassing the musician in his subsequent uploads on the app: “You knew to delete that s**t.” Another person emphasized, “The thing about the internet [is] that it’s forever. Even though you delete something, it’s still out there.”
While 50 Cent may have found the ordeal funny, Rainey issued a much more serious statement regarding the livestream. “I am still in shock and don’t fully know how to process what happened last night,” he stated. “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.”
Tylil also shared an apology on his Instagram Stories earlier that day. The YouTuber explained, “After the actions that occurred during my stream last night (June 9), I would like to sincerely apologize to Michael and his family for what took place. 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.”