Amanda Seales has shared some details about her rumored feud with former “Insecure” co-star Issa Rae.
In an interview on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast, released on Wednesday April 24th, Seales stated her issues stemmed from a clash with Rae’s publicist, Vanessa Anderson.
The actor claimed Anderson disliked her and initiated a conflict that spilled over onto the set of “Insecure.” The actor says she was denied entry to a “Black Emmys party” and later escorted out at Anderson’s request, despite being invited.
Seales revealed that Rae reached out to her after 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.’”
The “My Brother and Me” actor expressed disappointment in Rae’s alleged lack of intervention in the matter, “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.’”
Rae then reportedly responded, “’Well, then we just have a difference in opinion. This is between y’all.’”
Seales also addressed a “false narrative” around her image, “There’s a whole narrative that is completely false that people keep spinning. They keep saying that I’m this mean girl on this set, that I harmed these people on this set.”
However, the “Bring the Funny” actor said the power dynamic between her and Rae (co-creator of “Insecure”) made it impossible for her to be the “mean girl,” “I don’t even have the capacity to be the mean girl here ‘cause you can fire me.
“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.”
Seales said the situation caused a rift with the show’s production team and ultimately led to a breakdown in communication with Rae.
While the “Insecure” actor acknowledged her co-star’s groundbreaking role in Hollywood, she disagreed with guest star Lil Rel Howery’s praise of Rae’s female-centric work environment.
“She wasn’t empowering to me,” Seales stated. “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.”
