Rian Johnson, director of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” slammed the “manbabies” among the franchise’s fandom for their abusive behavior online.
While Johnson celebrated most “Star Wars” fans for their “humor, love & respect,” he also called out “a few unhealthy people” in a series of tweets that were posted after Kelly Marie Tran wiped her Instagram feed.
The actress, who played Rose Tico in “The Last Jedi,” didn’t explain why she left the platform. However, she had been receiving hateful posts and bullying messages from some who did not like her role in the film.
Johnson wrote:
What we talk about when we talk about manbabies
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) June 5, 2018
On social media a few unhealthy people can cast a big shadow on the wall, but over the past 4 years I’ve met lots of real fellow SW fans. We like & dislike stuff but we do it with humor, love & respect. We’re the VAST majority, we’re having fun & doing just fine. https://t.co/yhcShg5vdJ
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) June 5, 2018
In case it wasn’t clear who he was talking about, Johnson chided a fan who attempted to defend the attacks as a “critique:”
Done with this disingenuous bullshit. You know the difference between not liking a movie and hatefully harassing a woman so bad she has to get off social media. And you know which of those two we’re talking about here.
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) June 5, 2018
Your “implication” was not an implication at all, it was explicitly stated in your tweet: you’re conflating critiquing a movie with being an abusive asshole to people online, when it’s clear as day they are two seperate things & we’re condemning the latter and not the former.
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) June 5, 2018
Tran also received plenty of support on Twitter:
I totally embarrassingly fanned out when I met Kelly Marie Tran. Rose Tico was unequivocally one of the highlights of The Last Jedi. You’d have to be an idiot to disagree with that.
— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) June 5, 2018
i ♥️ #kellymarietran and her incredible work in The Last Jedi.
— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) June 6, 2018
Didn't have a lot of time to do much but here's my little piece of ❤ for Kelly Marie Tran and our beautiful Rose. #fanartforRose pic.twitter.com/TnFwBL4b5d
— Catrina Dennis, Force Witch (@ohcatrina) June 6, 2018
Kelly Marie Tran is:
— Kim Horcher (@kimscorcher) June 5, 2018
- A geek
- talented
- a positive, effusive light
- the actress who plays Rose Tico
She does not deserve any of the toxic shit so-called fans throw at her. Does her light bother you? Then grow the fuck up. Star Wars is a source of good.
Sad to hear about Kelly Marie Tran being bullied off of instagram. She was great in the movie. IMHO, fandom should be about inclusion and sharing the love of something that we passionately care about.
— Masi Oka (@MasiOka) June 5, 2018
Last year I had the distinct pleasure of meeting the beautiful #KellyMarieTran at Star Wars Celebration. You would be hard pressed to find a more genuinely kind & sweet soul. I can assure you that if this is the kind of person you feel the need to harass it is you who is empty. pic.twitter.com/clGZFSe9PT
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) June 5, 2018
Hating doesn't make you a true Star Wars fan, it just proves you have no idea what Star Wars is about. You're like Chris Christie at a Springsteen show, never once listening to the message: https://t.co/ej8ZDjqAzE
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) June 5, 2018
Anyway, I hope Kelly Marie Tran is okay, because she's awesome. And I hope all of you out there dealing with this kind of harassment are okay, too.
— Chuck Wendig (@ChuckWendig) June 5, 2018
Be well, humans. Stay good. pic.twitter.com/QGK8jtpUaf
I was lucky enough to meet Kelly Marie Tran briefly, and she was incredibly nice to a comics writer who may have been geeking out a bit too much. It's fine to not like fictional characters. It's not fine to harass actual human people. https://t.co/sti2my7zdD
— Jody Houser ✒️🗯️🎲 (@Jody_Houser) June 5, 2018
To the Star Wars fanbase:
— Alex Rochon (@AlexRochonVA) June 5, 2018
I don't care if you know what the Yuuzhan Vong are, or if you watched the original trilogy on VHS.
If you harassed Kelly Marie Tran for the crime of being an actor in a movie, your fandom means nothing. You being terrible manchildren takes precedence.
WHO HURT KELLY MARIE TRAN pic.twitter.com/NhclVv7ftA
— Chris Swift (@ChrisHSwift) June 1, 2018
It’s no exaggeration to say Kelly Marie Tran’s line in The Last Jedi
— Alex Zalben (@azalben) June 5, 2018
"That's how we're gonna win. Not fighting what we hate, saving what we love”
...changed my life.
Be good to each other. Pump up the things you love, don’t destroy the things you hate.
If you followed Kelly Marie Tran on instagram then you know she has been one of the loveliest and most positive souls on the goddamn internet in the past year and I will FIGHT every last person who hurt her https://t.co/WDP6j2HM5N
— Sarah Dollard (@snazdoll) June 5, 2018
A quick afternoon #sketch of #RoseTico from #StarWars #TheLastJedi. Drawn in support of actor #KellyMarieTran. Screw the manbabies who harassed her. pic.twitter.com/BF8iUMKsFE
— Kevin Necessary (@knecessary) June 5, 2018
Manbabies are goin' DOWN. We love you Kelly Marie Tran!
— Teri Tom (@TeriTomRD) June 6, 2018
Seriously, fix your fucking life if you do shit like this. This isn’t fandom, its not loving a thing. It’s harassment. It’s abusive behavior done by sexist, racist man babies. https://t.co/MpyhSMuu1h
— Cher (@thecherness) June 5, 2018
kelly marie tran i just want you to know there are so many of us out here that love and appreciate you and your role in star wars
— watch dirty computer 🦑 (@beewIw) June 4, 2018
The world don't deserves Kelly Marie Tran, she's the cutest, so adorable and funny but the world is full of idiots, heartless human beings and they're responsible for making her deleting the Instagram account, bunch of losers!! I hate you all!!💔 pic.twitter.com/hLjHpS8fKX
— Balance 🌈 (@daisyridleylit) June 3, 2018
Kelly Marie Tran is a goddamn treasure and I will not hear otherwise.
— Ashly Burch (@ashly_burch) June 5, 2018
Let this Kelly Marie Tran situation be a reminder:
— Colin Moriarty (@notaxation) June 5, 2018
Just because you don't like something -- a game, a film, whatever -- doesn't mean you have to be abusive to those who created it, or starred in it, or whatever else.
There are a lot of people out there that need to grow up.
we don't deserve kelly marie tran pic.twitter.com/nDKMeVjfeu
— kelly i love you (@stardustkyIo) May 29, 2018