At the Television Critics Association’s winter press conference on Thursday, Donald Glover and his writing team for the FX network show “Atlanta” said they were racially harassed on their first evening in London during production.
The incident was brought to light after a member of the press asked if there was ever a moment when they felt like a “fish out of water.”
Stephen Glover who is the brother of Donald Glover and one of the show’s writers stated “It was the first night there” when a group of intoxicated people approached the “Atlanta” team standing outside of a closed bar near their London home.
“It was the first night there,” Stephen Glover told the press conference about the incident, which he said occurred when a group of intoxicated people approached the “Atlanta” team when they were standing outside of a closed bar near their home in London.
“This group of people walks up. And maybe one of them kind of notices Donald or recognizes him,” Stephen said. “And she stops and they start asking if they know anywhere around here to get something to drink. I think we were talking to them for a second. It’s this girl and two or three guys.”
One of the men mention to the writers that they could break into the bar because “you guys all carry hammers.” The term “hammers” is used as slang for the word “gun”.
For a moment the “Atlanta” team wasn’t sure what the group of strangers was insinuating. Until they continued to explain themselves stated Stefani Robinson, another writer on the show. He got to a point of like if the insinuation was lost on us, then he got specific and he was like, ‘You guys are Black, you’ve gone to jail and you do things like that.’ Like he kept doubling down on it.”
Stephen said the incident concluded as the group of “Atlanta” writers were talking to one of the women they encountered on the street.
As the “Atlanta” team were talking to one of the women in the group the incident concluded according to Stephen.
“She’s talking to us. And then, after a minute, the guy just runs back down the street and grabs her and throws her over his shoulder, and he’s like, ‘Run. They are going to rape you, like, rape you,'” Stephen said. “The girl was literally, like, ‘I’m sorry,’ as she’s being taken away. So, it was pretty bad.”
“We are just standing there, like, ‘What just happened?'” Glover added.
As for the show, Donald Glover confirmed that “Atlanta” would end after it’s fourth season, which will air this fall. Season 3 will debut on March 24.
