T.I. and Tiny Harris have recently been the subject of allegations of violently forcing women into sexual acts and drug use. After denying the accusations, they have now been forced to halt production on their “T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle” show after categorically denying any wrongdoing.
Sabrina Peterson, a woman who was once a close friend of the Harrises, claimed on her Instagram page last month that she had been threatened with a gun by the “L.I.B.R.A.” rapper and privy to sexual abuse facilitated by the rapper and his wife, who is a member of R&B group Xscape. Peterson shared her story about allegedly abusing drugs and assisting with sexual abuse of female visitors at the home of the Harrises.
With the issue still causing nonprofits and others to question the couple, the company behind their hit reality show has chosen to halt production in Atlanta, where the show had started taping its fourth season in December, according to Deadline.
“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,” an MTV Entertainment spokesperson said in a statement to Deadline. “Given the serious nature of the allegations, we have decided to suspend production in order to gather more information.”
According to sources, the decision to stop filming was made mutually by MTV Entertainment, T.I. and Tameka Harris.
Credit: Jason LaVeris
Credit: Jason LaVeris
In Peterson’s post, she alleged that T.I. pointed a gun to her head and insinuated that he had victimized and abused women.
“The sad part about being a woman & BEING A BLACK WOMAN IS THIS! The public PRAISES OUR PREDATORS! @troubleman31 you PUT A GUN TO MY HEAD IN FRONT OF CHILDREN & I NEVER CALLED THE POLICE ON YOU! But for years you have painted me as the VILLAIN! AS BLACK WOMEN! It’s hard to heal from RAPE, VIOLENCE OR ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU ARE PAINTED AS THE PROBLEM OR REASON THIS HAS HAPPENED TO YOU! LETS NORMALIZE THE ALLOWING BLACK WOMEN TO HEAL!”
Once Peterson shared her story, she invited other women to recount their experiences with T.I. and Tiny at their metro Atlanta mansion. Later, she posted Instagram stories of screengrabs from her private exchanges with women who made claims that they were required to take drugs to enter into the Harris home. Many of those who spoke with Peterson alleged they were paid and forced into sexual acts with the couple.
In a statement to Complex magazine, the stars of “T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle” denied all the claims that were made and warned that they may take legal action if Peterson continues to make the claims, which were referred to as “egregiously appalling.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Harris want to be on record and more importantly want the public to know they emphatically deny in the strongest way possible the egregiously appalling allegations being made against them by Sabrina Peterson,” the statement read. “The Harrises have had difficulty with this woman for well over a decade. They are taking this matter very seriously, and if these allegations don’t end, they will take appropriate legal action.”
T.I. is the second Atlanta-based rapper in the last month to face sex abuse allegations. Rapper Soulja Boy, known for ushering in the digital rap trends, was accused of sexual assault and battery, which he denies. The allegations were made by a former personal assistant, according to TMZ. The 30-year-old rapper’s former employee alleges in a lawsuit that he locked her in a room for three days and repeatedly raped her.
In a statement to TMZ, a representative for the “Crank That” artist, whose real name is DeAndre Way, said: “He wouldn’t beat a woman or put his hands on a woman … this is nonsense.”
A friend of the couple, Brandi Boyd, took to her Instagram to defend them and denounce the accusers’ comments as slander.
“You just don’t do this, don’t do this to my friend, just knock it off,” Boyd said in an Instagram video. “Do not come for her character, do not slander, it’s disgusting. Spend that good energy of negativity you got – the right direction. Don’t do that because that’s ugly,” she continued.
Peterson has stated on social media that she has enlisted a lawyer and also plans to file suit against the Harrises.
