Rachel Zegler was attacked for saying “f–k Trump”.
As in the rest of America, celebrity responses to the 2024 election results are mixed.
Many responded with sadness and reasonable fear. Others have responded with misogynistic memes.
Rachel Zegler vented her anger — not only at Trump’s victory and America’s defeat, but also at voters returning to office. After a backlash, including one pundit calling him a “pig”, he apologized.
What did Rachel Zegler say about Donald Trump?
Rachel Zegler, star of West Side Story and the upcoming Disney remake of Snow White, took to her Instagram following the 2024 election results.
Like many, many, many people, they are frustrated with the outcome and the uncertainty that lies ahead.
“I find myself speechless in the midst of this,” he began. He expressed his pain and disappointment at “the number of people who showed up for this man who threatens our democracy.”
Rachel insisted; “I am here with you. To cry, to shout, to hug. To wax poetic about how the left continues to fail to forge new paths.
Like millions of Americans, Rachel went on to lament the “deep, deep sickness in this country” that allows people like Trump to triumph over basic decency.
He also expressed his hope that “Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself do not know peace.” He also concluded one of his Stories posts with a succinct: “F–k Donald Trump.”
Zegler also wisely urged people not to use Twitter. Trump hype-man Elon Musk bought the platform and made it worse, causing an exodus of millions of users. Critics disagree on how much of Twitter’s decline is the result of crime vs. incompetence when it comes to its notorious owners.
Why is Rachel Zegler getting backlash?
Having said that, some readers didn’t find that Rachel Zegler thought Trump was applicable. Instead, they passed around screenshots on social media, as if they were evidence of wrongdoing.
“@rachelzegler is a talentless, hateful piece of human debris,” said one Twitter resident.
Another tweet lamented: “I never thought we’d get to the point where Disney princesses would actually intentionally use words like ‘f–k’ in public statements, but here we are.”
Although it is true that many people who use “f–k” as a scandal are parents, but this does not mean that this Twitter user. Political motivations can make even the most ordinary behavior — such as Rachel Zegler’s sentiments toward Trump — seem “outrageous.” We all do it.
That weird reaction isn’t limited to random people still posting on Twitter like it’s 2014. Rightwing provocateur Megyn Kelly keeps calling Rachel a “pig.” Class as always, Megyn.
Then, in a flash, Rachel chose to back down and apologize for the tone of Trump’s comments.
“Hatred and anger have pushed us further away from peace and understanding, and I’m sorry I contributed to the negative discourse,” he wrote in a recent Instagram Story.
“This week has been emotional for many of us,” he admitted. “But I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if it differs from mine.”
Rachel concluded her apology with a more subdued tone than her previous post: “I am committed to contributing positively to a better tomorrow.” That last part, at least, makes a lot of sense.
Did Disney force him to apologize?
There is no indication that Disney has strong-armed an apology. However, Rachel is the lead in Disney’s upcoming live action remake (they keep making this for some reason) of Snow White.
It’s possible that Disney asked him to retract his comments after a boycott threat from someone who clearly has a skewed sense of right and wrong. (Speaking of people like that, it stars Gal Gadot, so…this movie already would be controversial.)
But did Rachel’s Trump comments cross that line? Probably not. That’s one line about Trump voters never knew peace may have gone a little too far, however.
After all, of course we want to create a world where everyone – even those in our country that has stagnated again – can flourish and know peace.
Remember, when they go down, we go up.
