Carly Hughes Leaves 'American Housewife' Over 'Toxic Environment,' To 'Protect' Herself From Discrimination

Carly Hughes decided to leave ABC's comedy series "American Housewife" because she doesn't want to expose herself to its alleged "toxic environment."

Hughes was the only Black series regular on the show. However, she decided to quit after portraying her role for four seasons. "American Housewife" Season 5 premiered on Oct. 28 and Hughes still made an appearance in the first episode, but her name no longer appeared in the opening credits of the second episode.

"I was no longer able to work in the toxic environment that was created on 'American Housewife,'" she said in a statement to Deadline.

"I made the decision to leave to protect myself from that type of discrimination. As a Black woman in entertainment, I feel the responsibility to stand up for what I deserve, what we all deserve — to be treated equally. I wish the show well, and I am excited for a new chapter and to be able to pursue the opportunities ahead."

Sources told the outlet that Hughes' allegations prompted the production to do an extensive HR investigation by ABC Signature. They also looked into other claims from production team members and following the probe, series creator Sarah Dunn is no longer an active producer. Mark J. Greenberg also stepped down as line producer and showrunners Rick Wiener and Kenny Schwartz underwent sensitivity training.

“Carly was a valued member of the cast, and we had hoped she would return to the show this season,” said the spokesperson for "American Housewife."

"The concerns she raised led to positive changes to the workplace and improvements to the culture, but we respect the decision she made to move on. We wish her nothing but the best.”

In April, Hughes dished about her quarantine experience with Hollywood Life. During the interview, she shared the various series she watched on Netflix during the lockdown.

"I’ve watched so many things that I don’t even know… it’s all running together," she said.

"The other day I was on a FaceTime happy hour with friends and they were like, ‘Did you watch this?’ And I said no, and then the other friend was like, ‘Yeah, you did. You told me all about it.’ My brain is fried. I watched this new series, ‘October Faction’ on Netflix. I finished it in a day. I watched all of ‘High Fidelity,’ ‘I Am Not Okay With This,’ I’m currently getting into ‘Ozark.’ I have watched all of Netflix.”

Hughes is appearing next on Lifetime's holiday special "The Christmas Edition." She recently promoted the show on Instagram by sharing a photo with her co-star Rob Mayes.

"The Christmas Edition" is set to premiere on Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. on Lifetime TV.