Terry Crews Says Backlash Against Police Brutality Will Influence Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Terry Crews has revealed Brooklyn Nine-Nine will 'definitely' be affected by the death of George Floyd and the ongoing protests against police brutality and systemic racism.

There has been international uproar since 46-year-old black man Floyd died in police custody on 25 May and Crews confirmed the incident and subsequent response will influence the next season of the sitcom, which centres around a group of officers in the NYPD.

Asked whether current events would influence the show in a virtual interview with Seth Meyers, Crews replied: "Definitely. We all got on a Zoom call just the other day because of what is happening in this country.

"We are witnessing so many abuses of power. We had some sombre talks and some really eye-opening conversations about how to handle this new season."

It comes after the cast and creators announced last week they would be donating $100,000 (£78,541) to support Black Lives Matter protesters.

In a post on Instagram, Stephanie Beatriz - who plays Rosa Diaz - said: "The cast and showrunner of Brooklyn Nine-Nine condemn the murder of George Floyd and support the many people who are protesting police brutality nationally.

"Together we have made a $100,000 donation to the National Bail Fund Network. We encourage you to look up your local bail fund: the National Bail Fund is an organisation that can lead you to them. #blacklivesmatter."

Speaking to Meyers, Crews also sought to clarify a tweet in which he said: "Defeating White supremacy without White people creates Black supremacy. Equality is the truth. Like it or not, we are all in this together."

The 51-year-old was widely criticised for the remark, but the actor said he had been misunderstood.

He said: "The term 'black supremacy' was just destroyed and what I was trying to say is the fact that, as a member of the black community, there have been so-called gatekeepers who decide who's black and who's not. And in this effort to really push equality and to end white supremacy and systematic racism, there are certain black people that determine that what I'm doing has no bearing - I have been rendered moot because I am successful. My point is just the fact that we need all of us.

"If white people don't learn how to treat us as a community, we're gonna have a problem. But also, in our community, we have to know how to treat each other."

Topics: Police, Black Lives Matter, TV and Film, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey