Amanda Seales is opening up about her relationship with former co-star Issa Rae.
Seales, who starred with Rae on the HBO dramedy “Insecure,” addressed the rumored feud between the actresses during an appearance on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast published Wednesday.
“I’ve never talked about this publicly because it has always been incredibly important to me to protect Issa. Because I know that Issa is doing something within this business that so few people get to do,” Seales told host Shannon Sharpe. “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.”
Seales said friction between her and Rae began when Rae’s publicist Vanessa Anderson allegedly showed animosity toward her during a “Black Emmys party” in 2018. Seales said she informed Rae that Anderson had a “problem” with her, but Rae purportedly chose not to address Seales’ claim.
Amanda Seales alleges Issa Rae’s publicist banned her from industry party
In 2019, Seales attended the next edition of the “Black Emmys party.” Despite being invited to the event, the “Get Your Life” star alleged she was denied entry because her name was not featured on the list of authorized attendees.
With the help of friend and fellow actor Elijah Kelley, Seales was able to enter the party. However, Seales said she was later escorted from the event by security guards at the request of Anderson, who reportedly was one of the event planners. The actress added that she was allegedly assaulted by one of the security officials during the escorting.
Seales said Rae reached out to her following the event. “She called me and said, ‘Hey, I heard what happened this weekend. I just want you to know I have nothing to do with it,’ ” Seales said, adding that Rae asked her to speak with Anderson.
Seales said during a phone conversation with Anderson, the publicist explained that she had Seales removed from the party because she disliked her. The “Insecure” star said Anderson subsequently started a “smear campaign” against her in the media, alleging that Seales got into an altercation at the event and was also “in danger” of being fired from the HBO series.
Seales said she raised the issue of Rae’s lack of involvement in the dispute in a follow-up conversation with Rae, to no avail.
“I said, ‘Listen, I am not saying that it’s going to be a problem on set, but I do think it is a problem that you don’t feel that you need to step in,’ ” Seales recalled. “And she was like, ‘Well, then we just have a difference in opinion. This is between y’all.’ ”
USA TODAY has reached out to Anderson for comment.
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Seales said while she initially felt protective of Rae during their time working together, this considerateness backfired on her and led to rumors of poor behavior on the set of “Insecure.”
“There’s a whole narrative that is completely false that people keep spinning,” Seales said. “They keep saying that I’m this mean girl on this set, that I harmed these people on this set.”
However, Seales said the power dynamic between her and Rae (co-creator of “Insecure”) made the alleged on-set drama unlikely.
“I don’t even have the capacity to be the mean girl here ‘cause you can fire me,” Seales said. “So, there’s no way for me to be a mean girl in this situation. And I know some people that may buck up against, like, the confirmation bias that they’ve created, but it simply is the truth.”
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Seales also alleged that news of her dispute with Anderson caused her to be alienated by the show’s production staff. “Everybody knows what’s going on. They don’t say nothing to me. And that’s just (expletive) mean,” she said.
Seales said she stopped communicating with Rae toward the end of the series’ run. When Sharpe pointed out that “Insecure” guest actor Lil Rel Howery noted the female empowerment of Rae’s work style, Seales disagreed.
“She wasn’t empowering to me,” Seales said. “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.”
