The world is still grieving the death of one of the greatest professional basketball players in history: Kobe Bryant, aged 41, who was killed in a helicopter crash last month along with his daughter Gianna and several other people.
While the shockwaves are still rippling through different communities and those who were close to the basketball player, one actress, in particular, has managed to create a lot of fuss online because of her controversial and insulting comments made mere hours after the news initially broke out.
Westworld and Frozen 2 star Evan Rachel Wood tweeted the following shortly after the incident occured, causing a huge backlash, which resulted in her being accused of taking the #MeToo movement too far.
“What has happened is tragic. I am heartbroken for Kobe’s family.
He was a sports hero. He was also a rapist. And all of these truths can exist simultaneously.”
What Wood is referring to, of course, is a lawsuit from 17 years ago by a 19-year-old Colorado hotel employee, for which the hoops legend was never actually prosecuted.
People quickly rose to the late Kobe Bryant’s defense, some calling the actress an opportunist who’s looking for attention and others pointing out that this is just another sign which shows #MeToo has gone out of control. Even fellow actress Kyla Pratt showed her repulsion from Wood’s tweet while maintaining that she’s always admired her work both “on camera and off.”
Wood eventually decided to cool things off by posting another tweet the next day, which read:
“Beloveds, this was not a condemnation or a celebration. It was a reminder that everyone will have different feelings and there is room for us all to grieve together instead of fighting. Everyone has lost. Everyone will be triggered, so please show kindness and respect to all.”
Although, that did little to help matters and only resulted in further outrage. But not everyone was critical of Wood’s comments, and some even voiced their support.
“She voiced my thoughts when I heard the news,” Amy Starkey wrote. “As a survivor who had to watch other people express sorrow when my rapist died, while all I could feel was relief and then guilt for that, Evan spoke for me. And I appreciate it.”
Tell us, though, what do you think about this matter? Now that he’s dead, should Kobe Bryant be so blatantly judged for something that he’s not around to defend himself for? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.
