Ariana DeBose deletes post criticising West Side Story costar Rachel Zegler amid backlash, issues clarification
Ariana DeBose was criticised after she shared an Instagram post which had a quote that was criticism of her West Side Story costar Rachel Zegler.
Ariana DeBose faced backlash for posting a picture which had a quote that was critical of her West Side Story costar Rachel Zegler. She deleted the Instagram post and issued a clarification, saying that she ‘did not do any research on where this quote came from.’ The quote was from a recent comment made by Jonah Platt, who the son of Snow White producer Marc Platt. (Also read: Snow White box office hurt by Rachel Zegler's political comments, claims producer's son: ‘Free speech does not mean…’)
About the controversy
It all started when Ariana posted a quote which read, "Narcissism is not something to be coddled or encouraged." That was a comment made by Jonah Platt, son of Snow White producer Marc Platt. A few days ago had criticised Rachel for making political comments and said how that has hurt the Disney remake's box office performance.
Several users criticised Ariana for bullying her West Side Story co-star Rachel instead of standing beside her. Many took to X to lash out at Ariana, and said that Rachel deserved better in the industry.
Ariana's clarification
Since then, Ariana has deleted the post and posted a clarification on her Instagram Stories regarding the issue. She wrote, “I post quotes all the time and thought this one was meaningful. Will fully cop to the fact that 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. This is not the first time I have 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.”
Rachel and Ariana starred in director Steven Spielberg's 2021 adaptation West Side Story. The film went on receive critical acclaim, with Ariana winning the Oscar in the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance.
