Oscar-winning actress Ariana DeBose has sparked backlash for posting a quote on Instagram that criticized her West Side Story co-star Rachel Zegler.
The Snow White star has been under controversy recently as her social media activities are being blamed as the reason why the Disney live-action remake movie is underperforming at the box office.
Ariana DeBose Slammed for Posting Quote Criticizing Rachel Zegler
In an Instagram story post, DeBose shared a quote that reads: "Narcissism is not something to be coddled or encouraged."
However, fans took issue with the post as the quote originated from Jonah Platt's deleted comments that criticized Zegler following reports of how Disney attempted to restrain the actress by hiring a social media guru in the months leading up to the release of Snow White.
Since then, DeBose has deleted the post and shared a statement clarifying why she posted the quote. She also claimed that she was not aware of the quote's origins and had no ill will toward her West Side Story co-star.
"I post quotes all the time and thought this one was meaningful. Will fully cop to the fact I did not do any research on where this quote came from, nor did I know of the connection until it was pointed out to me," she wrote in her follow-up post.
"I have no intention of inserting myself into a news cycle. This is not the first time I’ve posted about dealing with narcissism and it probably won’t be the last, but next time I’ll be sure to clarify its origins first."
Fans Criticize Ariana DeBose for Posting the Quote
A lot of fans online took aim at DeBose and criticized her posting of the quote, as they felt that she was being shady to Zegler.
Despite the Oscar winner's clarification, they were suspicious about her claims that she was not aware of the quote's origins and speculated whether there was a feud going on between them.
Here are some of the reaction posts on X:
What do you think of DeBose's statement? Let us know in the comments!
Make sure to follow our official Facebook page for more news and explainer articles about your favorite films and TV shows!