Amanda Seales expressed her feelings towards her ex Unsure boss Issa Rae crystal clear.
During an interview on Thursday, April 25, with Shannon Sharpe On his “Club Shay Shay” podcast, Seales, 42, addressed the long-standing conflict between her and Rae, 39.
“I’ve never spoken about it publicly because I’ve always felt incredibly important about protecting Issa,” Seales said. “Because I know Issa is doing something in this business that so few people can do.”
Rae created and starred Unsurein which Seales appeared in all five seasons.
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According to Seales, the rift began when Rae’s publicist asked her to leave a pre-Emmys party for black entertainers in 2019 Vanessa Anderson. After the incident, Rae called Seales and said she had “nothing to do with it” and insisted that Seales and Anderson resolve their issues themselves.
Seales could never fully understand where the resentment came from, she explained, but the simmering tension continued throughout Unsure was on air.
Despite the uproar, Seales said she was still motivated to stand by Rae — but it ultimately worked against her.
“It’s gotten to the point now where my protection for Issa is focused on me and is something people use against me,” she explained. “There is a completely false narrative that people keep filming. They keep saying that I’m that mean girl on this set, that I harmed these people on this set.”
When Seales’ alleged reputation passed her by, she said the whole idea made no sense.
Natasha Rothwell, Yvonne Orji, Issa Rae, Amanda Seales and Wade Allain-Marcus on “Insecure”
Raymond Liu/Warner Bros.“It’s your show. “You’re my boss,” she continued. “I don’t even have the ability to be the mean girl here. Because you can fire me. There’s no way for me to be a mean girl in this situation.”
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The damage had already been done, Seales claimed, which allegedly led to the rest of the cast isolating her.
“Everyone knows what’s going on,” she said. “You don’t tell me anything. And that’s just fucking mean.”
When Sharpe referenced a conversation he had with an actor and comedian Lil Rel Howerywho boasted that Rae was known for “empowering women,” Seales dismissed.
“I disagree,” she replied. “She didn’t give me the strength I needed. She didn’t feel like I deserved to be protected.”
Ultimately, Seales concluded, “I still protected her because I felt it was my responsibility to do so. But it is not.”
Us weekly asked Rae for comment.