‘The Chi’: Jasmine Davis Blasts Lena Waithe, Says She Was Used as LGBTQ+ Prop, and Poorly Treated on Set
The Chi is currently airing its fifth season and Jasmine Davis is noticeably absent. Ahead of the season’s premiere, Davis made it known she would not be returning. Her character was beloved for exposing a portion of the community to trans individuals. While she is proud of her work on the show, she says her experience was not healthy and that the show’s creator, Lena Waithe, did little to help.
There were reports Jasmine Davis left the show over a dispute regarding a COVID-19 vaccination card
Davis had an acrimonious exit from the show, referring to a toxic work environment on social media and referenced Disney’s involvement in the show. But according to sources close to the show, Davis presented a false vaccination card, which sparked an investigation.
“Jasmine asked for a vaccination exemption when she submitted a vaccination card for the prior season,” an insider told Page Six. “This triggered an investigation and Jasmine then quit the show.”
In a Tweet sent from Davis prior to Page Six’s report, Davis spoke about being in an unhealthy work environment. “4 2 years [sic] I’ve been bullied 4 being on a show that was kind of a nightmare & the moment I clap back Instagram flag my comment as harassing them for trying to harass me on my page it’s unfair how they can come on my page and say whatever with no consequences,” she Tweeted. But the insider says Davis is disgruntled. “All of Jasmine’s comments are simply retaliatory,” they noted.
She blasts Lena Waithe for not being a true supporter and she was used as a prop on the show
Davis says she never met Waithe in person despite her visiting the set a few times during filming. Instead, their communication was strictly via text. “I thought that we were friends, I thought that I was in a safe space [but] I later found out that she had other friends on set that were her real friends,” she said in a recent interview. “I found out later – she did some nice things for me – and I found out later they were only done to keep me happy to keep me on the show because they used me as their wow card because a lot of people were losing interest in a lot of characters on the show so it wasn’t genuine.”
Davis says during her last season on the show, she began to realize she was being used as an LGBTQ+ prop. She says there were never any true intentions for them to make her a series regular.
Jasmine Davis says she was unfairly treated during her time on the show
Davis says when she initially landed the role, she had no idea Disney was involved in the show. According to Davis, Disney controlled what she was able to post on her social media account. She alleges she was not allowed to post any sexy or revealing photos, but was given the OK to post anything that made her appear tomboyish.
Season 4 of the show was filmed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and Davis says there were strict testing and quarantine guidelines staff were instructed to follow. She insists that all cast members were told they had to remain in Chicago the duration of filming, but she began to notice some of her co-stars would leave for weeks when they weren’t in certain episodes and allowed to return. When it came to her, she says her job was threatened if she asked to leave the city for personal reasons, despite being willing to get tested before and after the trips.
Producers allegedly tried to force a sex scene without her knowledge
Besides feeling picked on by crew members and producers, Davis says she did not get any respect in other ways, most notably with her character arc. There was one particular scene she says she has no clue of until reading the script.
“I feel like they’ve been pushing a sex scene since day one and it was so upsetting in season 4…if it’s going to be a sex scene, an actor should be made aware when the contract is being drawn up [and] I wasn’t aware of that scene until I think the third episode and I instantly called my agent…I said ‘They’re going to have to pay me more money for that.’” she explained.
Davis claims no one on the show asked if she was comfortable acting in the scene. She also says she discovered later that her co-star, Luke James, knew about it ahead of time. After complaining so many times about it, the scene was ultimately dropped.
