“Snow White” star Rachel Zegler gave Disney all the publicity it could handle last year.
All the “wrong” kind of publicity, to be exact.
She slammed the beloved source material, repeatedly calling it “weird” and suggested her live-action update will be as woke as the Mouse House can muster.
Now, she’s targeting both President-Elect Donald Trump and, more importantly, his fans on social media. Her comments threaten to alienate potential movie goers who might otherwise line up to see her “Snow White” adaptation in 2025.
That could be in doubt after her Instagram-based vitriol.
Zegler’s tone turned darker as she said she agreed with the sentiment that “more than anything,” Trump supporters, voters, and Trump himself should “never know peace.”
Adding to the long-held Democratic Party claim that Trump is a threat to democracy, Zegler said there is a “deep, deep sickness” in the United States, proven by the tens of millions of people who voted for Trump.
She also called the number of people who support Trump “terrifying,” saying they are subscribing to a “false sense of security, of masculinity, of intelligence, of patriotism, and of humanity.”
That sound you hear is Disney’s PR team making a massive order at the nearest Starbucks. It’s going to take plenty of Joe to defuse this PR debacle.
Zegler isn’t the first celebrity to support Kamala Harris’ now-failed presidential campaign. Her peers knocked on doors, raised money and flexed their celebrity clout as much as possible.
It may not have helped, but that’s part of the American process. it’s all well within the political battle. May the best person win.
Zegler’s comments are different. Aggressive. Combative. Threatening.
“Never know peace.” Read that line again. What does it mean?
Social media users are savaging Disney, the same company that fired Gina Carano for her social media musings, for not acting on Zegler’s comments.
Maybe Rachel Zegler should take her own advice and treat others with patience and empathy- starting with Gina Carano.
We all know she won’t because she doesn’t really mean what she says🤷🏻♀️ Snow White will bomb, just like Shazam 2 & West Side Story✌🏼 https://t.co/NbtqnLh5dr pic.twitter.com/Ig5jBjIM3j
— Steph Anie (@mynerdyhome) August 18, 2023
It’s too soon for corporate action, of course. It’s worth noting that the post that ended Carano’s Disney career was a plea for peace and acceptance.
Zegler’s screed is the opposite.
The entertainment press will bury this story for as long as possible. They run cover for progressive stars all the time.
New media platforms, by comparison, are pouncing and seizing on it. As well they should. That’s why the corporate press is dying.
Faster, please.
It’s worth noting that the young actress can say whatever she wants. She can be angry, dismissive or cruel. That’s her right as an American. And, given Hollywood’s liberal bent, she won’t suffer any wide-scale banishment for her screed.
At the same time, Disney is in the business of selling movies to the masses. That task just got exponentially harder thanks to the “Snow White” star’s latest comments.
Editor’s Note: It’s a brutal time to be an independent journalist, but it’s never been more necessary given the sorry state of the corporate press. If you’re enjoying Hollywood in Toto, I hope you’ll consider leaving a coin (or two) in our Tip Jar.
