13 Years Later, Lost's Toxicity Continues to Haunt Its Cast and Crew

There is no doubt that Lost is and will always be one of the most influential television shows in history.

With an insane pilot budget and plot intensity, the show managed to build an army of dedicated fans and create a level of television mystery that not many shows have been able to replicate in the years since.

For all the praise the show has received over the years, it has been just as controversial, with many members of the cast and crew coming forward to express their mixed feelings about the experience.

Most agreed that they were undoubtedly grateful for the once-in-a-lifetime experience Lost gave them, but also felt that they were mistreated throughout.

Although the show ended in 2010, the controversy surrounding it continues to this day. T

he most recent part of the revelations came with Maureen Ryan's new book, Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood, where the author interviewed various actors, writers, and crew members from the show to find out the truth behind the scenes of Lost.

Writer Monica Owusu-Breen and actor Harold Perrineau, who played Michael Dawson, both spoke out about experiencing racism on set on multiple occasions.

While Owusu-Breen also noted that the work environment was so hostile at times that she had to cry out her stress before going home, Perrineau voiced his concerns about the representation of black fathers on screen and was quickly silenced.

Hearing that Perrineau was fired, and the fact was bragged about with the words "called me racist, so I fired his a**" was the last straw for Owusu-Breen as well.

Both cases lead to showrunner Damon Lindelof, who has responded to the allegations, but not in the way one would expect.

Though he apologized and admitted to his management failures, Lindelof seemingly excused himself from the situation by pointing out how long ago the incidents took place.

"I'm telling you, I swear, I have no recollection of those specific things. And that's not me saying that they didn't happen. I'm just saying that it's literally baffling my brain—that they did happen and that I bore witness to them or that I said them," he said.

If you are missing Lost for the quality of the story itself, you can rewatch it by streaming on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video or Disney Plus.