Atlanta rapper T.I. has successfully transitioned from music to reality TV like many stars. But it appears like that’s now turned sour.
T.I. Denies It All
T.I. had a rough past few years in the media. The Whatever You Like artist firstly began receiving allegations of sexual assault at the top of 2021.
Former family friend Sabrina Peterson kicked off the accusations, first claiming T.I. held a gun to her head during an argument. She then followed this up with screenshots of her DM’s filled with women coming forward about being drugged and assaulted by both T.I. and his wife Tiny. Of course, the famous couple vehemently denied the accusations and immediately began defending themselves on social media.
“Whatever we ever have done, has been done with consensual adults who into what we into and like what we like,” T.I. explained in an Instagram video. “If we want something, we know exactly where to go get it. We’ve never forced anybody, we’ve never drugged anybody against their will, we’ve never held anybody against their will. We’ve never made anybody do anything. We never sexually trafficked anything.”
Despite the desperate pleas of innocence, VH1 wasn’t willing to take chances. In February 2021, the network suspended the production of T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle and took them off the air. Currently, the reality program is still off VH1’s roster. T.I., real name Clifford Harris, isn’t happy about the seemingly permanent cancellation. He hopped on Instagram this past weekend (June 18) to air out these grievances.
One Less Check In the Mail
“@vh1 13 years no loyalty. No Integrity. Just jumped to conclusions. False accusations. No apology.. no accountability,” he typed. “No closure. In the name of protecting women…while unfairly, without due process….Subsequently punishing Women??? No problem.”
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Above that caption is a meme that reads: “I wish TI Family Hustle still came on,” featuring a portion of Fuck Em by T.I. and Lil Jon booming in the background. The show has been running for over a decade now. The Family Hustle initially started off as a big success for VH1. The premiere episode drew in a crowd of 4.3 million viewers back in 2011. The second episode topped that figure, proving his family as a rating magnet. So what changed?
In the age of #MeToo, cable networks clearly aren’t willing to take any chances with its stars. An MTV representative released a statement last year fully explaining their stance. “We are aware of the allegations, and while they are not connected to our show, we have reached out to T.I. and Tameka Harris, as well as local and state officials,” they confirmed. “Given the serious nature of the allegations, we have decided to suspend production in order to gather more information.”
10 Years Too Late
Since that statement, there have been significant developments in the case. In March last year, New York attorney Tyrone Blackburn held a press conference in which he revealed over 30 women had contacted him for legal representation against T.I. and Tiny. According to Blackburn, the “forced drugging, kidnapping, rape and intimidation” took place in Los Angeles, Georgia and Florida over the span of 15 years. Similar to the initial accusations, the famous couple denied these crimes once again. This apparently didn’t deter authorities from digging deeper.
An official investigation was opened by the LAPD in May last year. Explicit details of the investigation have yet to be revealed, but we do know that it was spurred by a woman who told authorities she was assaulted by the couple in 2005. Although this didn’t bode well for the Harris’s, ultimately they won’t be criminally charged. Since the crime lands outside of a 10-year time span, statute of limitations prevents any further legal actions.
While T.I. and Tiny don’t have to fear jail time, the sexual assault accusations have certainly stained their reputation. As the situation becomes further in the past, cable stations are determined to play it safe and keep this Atlanta man canceled.
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Dreema Carrington|IG: @dr3amgirl79|Twitter: @notdreema
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