In a rare move, People magazine deleted a story from its website on Wednesday after it triggered “violent” threats against its subject, the actress Olivia Munn, and her family.
The story was about Munn’s distaste for children’s television and bore a headline specifically citing the popular YouTuber Ms. Rachel — which apparently triggered some fans. “There is no excuse for these abhorrent attacks, and we will always prioritize safety above all else,” the publication acknowledged in a statement explaining the decision to remove a story.
It’s an unusual move for any news outlet to delete, rather than amend or update, a story — even People, which is generally considered a friendly go-to outlet for celebrities to share their stories. When asked for further information about removing the article, a People representative pointed back to its original statement.
The post was drawn from the magazine’s recent interview with Munn for a cover story, which published online June 4. The 44-year-old actress, who was promoting her new Apple TV+ series, talked about life with her husband, 42-year-old comedian John Mulaney, their children — a 3-year-old boy and 8-month-old girl — as well as her 2023 breast cancer diagnosis. People also published several separate exclusive items using material from the Munn interview, including one in which she discussed her fertility treatments, and another post headlined, “Olivia Munn Doesn’t Let Her Kids Watch Ms. Rachel. Here’s Why.”
In the story, according to sites that repeated quotes from it before it was deleted, Munn shared her irritation with children’s TV programming. She specifically cited Ms. Rachel, a major celebrity to young children and their parents.
“I know kids love [Ms. Rachel], but the thing is, if I can’t watch it, I’m not going to spend the rest of my life going crazy,” Munn said, and added she was not a fan of “Blue’s Clues” or “Spider-Man” either. (She did admit a tolerance for “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” because it helped her son prepare for the arrival of a baby sister.)
However, the framing of the People headline drew attention on social media, especially given that Ms. Rachel, whose full name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, has been in the news for speaking out about the plight of children in Gaza — though it’s unclear if this topic was even addressed in the People story. All of this was surely heightened by the strong feelings many fans harbor about Mulaney and Munn’s relationship, and its timing relative to his divorce from an artist, Anna Marie Tendler, with her own significant social media following.
Various publications and social media accounts started regurgitating Munn’s comments, and Accurso herself expressed disappointment when she left a comment on People’s Instagram post, now disappeared as well:
“WHO CARES?! I’d rather you cover me advocating for kids in Gaza who are literally starving, largest cohort of child amputees in modern history, thousands & thousands killed — no medical care, no education, no homes… do better!!!” Accurso wrote, according to multiple reports. “Not against [Munn] at all and don’t care that she doesn’t want to watch the show — all my love to her and her family — disappointed in the outlets.” Later, she wrote on her own Instagram account that she and Munn had spoken and were on good terms.
“Please be kind to Olivia & her precious family,” Accurso wrote. “I don’t believe in hate, attacks or hurtful comments.”
Munn also criticized the coverage. “To Ms Rachel and your fans, I hear and respect the passion behind your support. I never anticipated the media would single out one small thing I said and distort it like they have,” she wrote in an Instagram story earlier this week. “Every parent understands the importance of finding meaningful programming that helps us connect with our kids. I don’t want something taken out of context to be a moment that steals even a minute of joy for anyone.”
Mulaney weighed in Wednesday, calling for a stop to the “violent and threatening” comments that Munn had been receiving in online comments and direct messages. “An innocent comment my wife Olivia Munn made about what children’s programs we like has somehow — unbelievably — been conflated with not caring about the deaths of children in Gaza,” he posted on Instagram.
“The people doing this are so wildly out of line and so unhelpful to any conversation. You took a nothing comment to a dark and dangerous place. This kind of behavior isn’t activism.”
Accurso has been creating educational children’s content on YouTube, where she has more than 15.2 million subscribers, since 2019. With the help of silly and cheerful music, Ms. Rachel teaches children how to spell and use the bathroom, while also offering lessons on emotional support.
Outside of her YouTube show, Accurso has been outspoken about Gaza, which led to backlash from right-wing media commentators and StopAntisemitism, a prominent pro-Israel group, which called on the U.S. attorney general to investigate the children’s entertainer. (Accurso said earlier this month that she stands against “all forms of hate.”)
But, Accurso told WBUR, “I wouldn’t be Ms. Rachel if I didn’t deeply care about all kids. And I would risk everything, and I will risk my career over and over to stand up for them.”
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