There will be no rage-twerking video this time.
Amandla Stenberg finally reacts to the cancellation of her Star Wars series, The Acolyte, in a ten minute video posted to her Instagram story. The 25-year-old actress blames the fans, conservatives, the alt-right, and insinuates Trump is to blame for the series cancellation.
Stenberg says she wasn’t surprised by the news of the cancellation because of all the “vitriol” surrounding the show from a certain segment of the fandom.
The Acolyte was canceled by Disney likely due to the poor viewership. The official Nielsen viewership ratings, which are attached to Disney+ accounts, revealed The Acolyte to be the least-watched Star Wars show on Disney+. Many episodes didn’t even register on the Nielsen charts, and the season finale is also the least-watched season finale for a Star Wars show on Disney+.
What did Amandla Stenberg say about The Acolyte cancellation?
In the video, Stenberg began by acknowledging the cancellation, stating, “I’m going to be transparent and say that it’s not a huge shock for me.”
However, she quickly shifted the conversation to the backlash she claims the series faced from the moment it was announced.
“For those who aren’t aware, there has been a rampage of vitriol that we have faced since the show was even announced, when it was still just a concept that no one had even seen it,” she said.
She continued by pointing the blame at those she believes were behind the negative reaction. Stenberg pointed to “a rampage of, I would say hyper conservative, bigotry and vitriol, prejudiced hatred and hateful language towards us.”
She confessed, reflecting on the emotional toll of her perceived backlash, “This really affected me when I first got the job, because it’s just not something even though I anticipated it happening, it’s not something you can fully understand what it feels like until it’s happening to you.”
Throughout her video, Stenberg made it clear that her experience had a profound impact on her.
“It was kind of like I had this very unique experience of experiencing the world at large, which is, of course, hyper divisive right now, through the lens of this very, very unique opportunity of being in Star Wars,” she said. “And it brought up a lot for me, a lot, sociopolitical dynamics, a lot about my own value system, how I respond to that kind of hatred, how I move through the world at large.”
She also thanked the fans that did like the show for their support and said the targeted attack wasn’t just about disliking the show but was rooted in deeper, more troubling societal issues.
“I just want to let those people know out there who supported us in that way, and supported us vocally despite and in the face of all of the vitriol that we received and the kind of the targeted attack, I would say we received by the alt right, just about you were deeply loved, appreciated, and it made this job all the worthwhile for me,” she said.
Stenberg concluded her message with a call to action that also alludes to political responsibility. While she didn’t mention any political figures by name, the timing and context of her remarks is no coincidence and strongly hints at her views on the current political climate. In what can be interpreted as a direct reference to former President Donald Trump, she urged her viewers to vote.
“I’ll continue to process this for a long time, but maybe the last thing I want to say on the subject is that we all exist [inaudible]. But I’m serious. It’s not lost on me how the way that these events have unfolded is also due to, the hyper divisiveness of the time that we live in that is driven, I would say at this point by echo chambers of thought and algorithms that reinforce our biases,” she said.
Stenberg continued, “And I think that applies to everybody. But I think that in a particular sect of people, it manifests as a lot of fear for what is changing and a lot of hatred for anything that is other. And I would challenge us all and challenge myself to continue questioning what it is that I digest, and think critically about what shapes it.”
She added, “And, let’s vote, y’all. Let’s vote. I think that’s all I have to say.”
