Advertisement

Star Wars’ Daisy Ridley quits Instagram after anti-gun post backlash, abuse

Daisy Ridley accepts the award for Best Female Newcomer on stage during the Jameson Empire Awards 2016 at The Grosvenor House Hotel on March 20, 2016 in London, England. Tristan Fewings/Getty Images

Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley deleted her Instagram account after sharing an anti-gun violence post Monday, which received some angry backlash from social- users.

Ridley, who starred as Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was accused of hypocrisy due to the violence in the Star Wars film.

The 24-year-old created the post following the Teen Choice Awards 2016 on Sunday, after the audience was introduced to Alton Sterling’s son Cameron and victims from the Orlando, Newtown and San Bernardino shootings.

READ MORE: Orlando Bloom gets completely naked on beach day with Katy Perry 

“Thinking about how lucky I am like…….Serious bit: as I sat in the audience yesterday [Teen Choice Awards] tears were streaming down my face at the tribute to those that have been lost to gun violence. I didn’t get a great picture of the incredible group that came onstage but they were so brave. It was a true moment of togetherness. We must ‪#‎stoptheviolence‬,” she wrote on Facebook before deleting it later Wednesday.
Story continues below advertisement

After Ridley erased her Instagram account, she reactivated it momentarily, according to The Nerdy Bird, to post a statement; she wrote: “I just wanted to be on my phone less!”

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

The British-born actress added that she’s, “trying to be more present and all that and got a busy few months ahead so wanted less distractions.”

READ MORE: Clint Eastwood supports Donald Trump’s anti-PC stance, laments ‘pu**y generation’

Ridley was criticized on the Facebook post, but many of her fans were praising her words and asking her to reactivate her Instagram account so that the “haters” didn’t win.

The actress is not the first celebrity to take a break from social media due to negativity.

Story continues below advertisement

Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones had dozens of racial slurs hurled at her on Twitter around the time the new film came out. Jones shared screenshots of some of the tweets and encouraged her followers to report the people that were writing the racist comments.

The comedian briefly deactivated her Twitter account before returning the same week.

READ MORE: ‘Ghostbusters’ star Leslie Jones highlights rampant racist abuse on Twitter

Last week, Instagram added a new feature that allows users to filter or turn off the comments underneath their photos in an effort to reduce online harassment.

Ridley will be back as her character Rey in Star Wars: Episode VIII, due out on December 15, 2017.

Sponsored content

AdChoices