Posted in: Amazon Studios, Opinion, Preview, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: amazon, eric kripke, Erin Moriarty, opinion, prime video, the boys

The Boys Showrunner Eric Kripke Stands By His 2022 "Advice" to Trolls

The Boys Showrunner Eric Kripke made it clear that he stands by his 2022 "advice" to trolls who were harassing Erin Moriarty on social media.

As successful as Prime Video and Showrunner Eric Kripke's The Boys has been – and continues to be – the streaming series has also suffered its fair share of misogynistic, gatekeeping, body-shaming trolls who get some kind of twisted high off of making people feel small. You know, the kind that worships Homelander (Antony Starr) as some kind of "hero." It was waves of that kind of hate that series star Erin Moriarty (Starlight/Annie January) found herself facing back in 2022 (and as recently as earlier this year).

Back in September 2022, Moriarty went public with her feelings about how she was treated by the toxic segment of the fandom after an article addressing what she's had to deal with since the series first went live. In the article "#IStandWithStarlight?: The Betrayal of Erin Moriarty by The Boys 'Fans'" (here), butcherscanary wrote in support of Moriarty while also pushing back on and calling out those who've been coming at The Boys star with the same kind of toxic masculinity that the series had spent an entire season demonstrating just how destructively controlling it is to women.

"I do feel silenced. I do [feel] dehumanized. I do feel paralyzed," Moriarty wrote in the post before addressing everything she's put into the role over the years that's allowed her to "change & evolve mentally and physically." The sad irony wasn't lost on Moriarty, who added, "I've opened up a vein for this role, and the misogynistic trolling is exactly what this role (Annie) would speak out against." As much as this is meant to give you an overview of the situation, both Moriarty's post and butcherscanary's are necessary readings that we could never do justice by summarizing. Here's a look at a screencap of Moriarty's post (which you can check out here), followed by the full text of the caption included with a screencap of butcherscanary's article:

"I do feel silenced. I do [feel] dehumanized. I do feel paralyzed. I've put blood, sweat, and tears into this role (over & over & over again), I've grown UP in this character's shoes (*emphasis on grown up – we change & evolve mentally AND physically). So with that I say: a) thank you to [butcherscanary] b) this does break my heart – I've opened up a vein for this role and the misogynistic trolling is exactly what this role (Annie) would speak out against and c) everyone's going through their own battle(s); let's not add to that. I will never intentionally (and ESPECIALLY) publicly, add to yours. This has only strengthened my empathy muscle and to anyone who comes at me: I see you, I don't hate you, I only empathize and forgive."

Shortly after Moriarty went public, Kripke took to social media to not only show that he had Moriarty's back but also make it clear to the trolls out there what they could do – before no longer watching the series. "Hi, trolls! One, this is literally the opposite of the show's fucking message. Two, you're causing pain to real people with real feelings. Be kind. If you can't be kind, then eat a bag of dicks, fuck off to the sun & don't watch [The Boys], we don't want you," Kripke wrote. Here's a look at the tweet/x:

Nearly two years later, Kripke is sharing why he felt the need to go public with his feelings on the matter, the reactions he received, and why it was important to draw a line in the sand when it came to defending a member of the show's family. "First question, why I did it, is I'm really protective of my actors. They're all really good people, and you start to feel like their dad in a way. And she was genuinely hurt and really upset. I just felt like, 'Fuck them!' I was genuinely angry. I can't say I put a lot of careful thought into it," The Boys showrunner shared during his recent interview with Variety.

"I just was pissed that they were coming after one of my actors," he continued. "And yeah, actually, the response was strangely positive. I think there were just a lot of people that watched that stuff from afar and are just like, 'That's bullshit. I get that that person is in the public eye, and you're allowed to say, I like that performance. I don't like that performance. I like that show. I don't like that show. That actor works for me. They don't work for me.'"

Kripke added, "Obviously, we all do. But when it starts to become these personal attacks on who they are, and when fucking Megyn Kelly wants to talk about it, it's really not fair because they're not in a position that they can fight back. So yeah, all the trolls really can eat a bag of dicks and fuck off to the sun. I reiterate that comment."

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!