Rashida Jones Says She "Did Not Leave Pixar Because Of Unwanted Advances"

Rashida Jones released a statement on Tuesday claiming that it was "philosophical differences" at Pixar, not "unwanted advances" from John Lasseter, that ultimately drove her and her writing partner Will McCormack to leave Pixar, Variety reports.

The statement was released hours after The Hollywood Reporter published what Jones described as an "irresponsible" article that incorrectly framed her experience writing Toy Story 4 at the animation company.

"We feel like we have been put in a position where we need to speak for ourselves. The break neck speed at which journalists have been naming the next perpetrator renders some reporting irresponsible and, in fact, counterproductive for the people who do want to tell their stories," Jones and McCormack wrote in a statement obtained by Variety. "In this instance, The Hollywood Reporter does not speak for us. We did not leave Pixar because of unwanted advances. That is untrue."

Variety notes that THR did try to reach Jones and McCormack for comment without success before publishing its piece. THR has since updated the story.

The writing duo then said that they do appreciate the number of people who have shared their experiences with harassment at the company, all of which contributed to Lasseter's decision to take a leave of absence effective Tuesday.

"As for us, we parted ways because of creative and, more importantly, philosophical differences," the statement continued. "There is so much talent at Pixar and we remain enormous fans of their films. But it is also a culture where women and people of color do not have an equal creative voice, as is demonstrated by their director demographics: out of the 20 films in the company's history, only one was co-directed by a woman and only one was directed by a person of color."

Jones and McCormack then took the opportunity to urge Pixar to hire "more diverse and female storytellers and leaders."

Since there are so many vacancies in the entertainment industry at the moment, there's never been a better time to make a meaningful change.