Erin Moriarty No Longer “Heartbroken” Over Toxic Fans, Says She Feels “Galvanized” Now
“The Boys” is one of the most popular superhero series globally and is currently in its fourth season, maintaining strong momentum and widespread discussion. Despite its critical acclaim since debuting, the series has faced significant fan backlash, unsurprising given its controversial nature. This backlash has targeted both the series and its cast, including instances of harassment from toxic “fans” and haters.
A prominent example is the situation with Erin Moriarty, who portrays Starlight, as one of the show’s main characters. In 2023 and earlier this year, Moriarty faced online harassment, primarily due to her appearance and rumors of plastic surgery. Fans attacked and insulted her based on these changes. Although it was a challenging time for Moriarty, she appears to have since recovered.
When the controversy first began, Moriarty addressed the backlash and abuse in a now-deleted Instagram post from January 2024. She wrote:
“This is something I truly never anticipated writing. We’re all subject to levels of bullying throughout our lives but I am horrified, and I felt that I deserved to take a second to address these things. I am horrified by the reaction, the reductive assumptions, and the aforementioned video that is a primary example of such harassment. It’s broken my heart. You’ve broken my heart.”
Source: stylecaster
The actress then left social media to cope with the harassment, which was exacerbated by media and paparazzi attention, significantly impacting her life. Fortunately, her colleagues from “The Boys” were quick to defend and support her.
Showrunner Eric Kripke took to Twitter, admonishing fans by saying: “Be kind. If you can’t be kind, then eat a bag of dicks, fuck off to the sun & don’t watch #TheBoys, we don’t want you.” Antony Starr also voiced his support for Moriarty, and the actress recently confirmed the tremendous support she received from her co-stars. Karen Fukuhara, who plays Kimiko, expressed her concern: “I was really worried about her for a period of time. Nobody is bulletproof, even though I think she’s close to it.”
Eventually, the situation calmed down, as these things typically do. Moriarty continued her work on “The Boys” and is now enjoying the success of the fourth season alongside her colleagues. In a recent interview with the New York Times, the actress reflected on the ordeal and how she emerged stronger from the experience:
“For a few months, I thought my career was over. Because there was so much attention brought to something that I was told never to address. I had left it on a note where I’d explicitly said that I had been heartbroken by the comments. Now, I’m not heartbroken. I’m galvanized.”
Source: The New York Times
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