Former Nickelodeon actress Lindsey Shaw has come under fire on TikTok after mocking a viral video made by Black creators!
The Ned’s Declassified actress, who has since deleted her vid, reacted negatively to a recent trend on the app called “vibing,” and then immediately took a LOT of heat for her impolite portrayal!
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In her version — which another user clipped and re-posted (below) — you can see Shaw reacting to the dance by asking “are we okay,” and “what the f**k is this” directly to the camera:
@notnotcandace Reply to @taradaley she deleted it but here it is #DontSpillChallenge
Hmmm…
The controversy really took hold after other users on the site discovered Shaw had praised her Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide co-star Devon Werkheiser for participating in the same trend, only to mock the Black creators in that video (above). Commenting on Werkheiser’s video of it, Shaw wrote, “Get it!!!!,” along with several laughing emojis.
That didn’t sit well with those who felt like they were being mocked, and several users called her out for it immediately (below):
“It’s called vibing… but she wouldn’t know seeing as she couldn’t even do it properly ???”
“For anyone confused: She PRAISED her white friend, Devon, for doing the trend, but insulted the black creators”
“Woah, Black people having fun, I hope nobody who peaked in Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide dislikes this”
“why moze got a problem wit dis”
Ouch!
(BTW, that last comment is a reference to Jennifer “Moze” Mosely, who was Shaw’s character in Ned’s Declassified.)
A few others landed on Shaw’s side, though, and criticized the critics for reducing the entire controversy down to race:
“Not everything has to do w race. y’all are so extra on god”
“I’m not seeing what this has to do with race. If they were white she would still be doing the same thing: making fun of the dance”
And so, the controversy began!
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Hours later, Shaw popped up again — this time on her Instagram Stories — to apologize and announce that she would be leaving social media for a bit in the aftermath of the controversy
Crying in a series of selfie videos, the actress said:
“OK, I just have to say right now that the hate in my inbox is not OK, OK? I did not mean anything in any kinda way, I am learning everyday as I think everybody is and this kind of hate just needs to evaporate from the planet no matter who it’s directed towards. Crocodile tears? No, dude, like, this is like, my soul out there. If you know anything about what I stand for or what I believe in then you know that it’s not this. I am sorry you were offended.”
The Pretty Little Liars guest star continued from there, too, announcing her step back from social media:
“I think we all need to vibrate higher for the future, and I know I’m gonna keep learning. I think, like, for my own mental health I need to take a step back from social media—I kinda felt that way anyway. But it’s like, I’m not here to offend or belittle anybody at all; I thought that the Millenial and Gen Z thing was a thing on TikTok. The intention wasn’t that serious, y’all. So um, yeah, I gotta just go off of here for a little while, but I appreciate you, I love you, and I’ll be back. And I hope I know more and I hope we all have a little more compassion and understanding.”
Not everybody took her apology at face value, though.
Several TikTok commenters were less than impressed with Shaw’s repentance, and let the world know:
“She mocked black ppl and cried over her hate comments on instagram lol. White tears are dangerous yall”
“The fact that she’s turned off her comments speaks volumes. No accountability whatsoever”
“It’s funny because she’s the one who started with the hate and now that she’s getting called out it’s the ‘where’s the unity’”
Not a bad point, that last one…
Werkheiser, who inadvertently found himself in the center of the scandal for a bit as noted (above), posted his own three-minute-long TikTok video responding to the entire situation. He acknowledged that Shaw’s clip mocking the dance trend in the first place was “very unnecessary,” but added:
“There is pain there, and I understand it. And this generation, we live in a time where people are standing up for and to that. If you know Lindsey personally, you know she’s a hater on all sorts of things—Black, white, brown, popular, unpopular—and can be a reactionary and defensive person. But she’s also got a good heart and is dealing with personal issues and challenges that none of you know anything about. Friends don’t get canceled in real life, and life is complicated.”
Interesting…
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Here is Devon’s full video addressing Lindsey and the backlash (below):
@devonwerkheiser Answer to @donklev_ responding to The People Who Are Mad vs. Lindsey Shaw • tried my best to answer in 3 mins. We all want healing #fyp #adulthood
Reactions, Perezcious readers?
Do U think Shaw deserved the attacks she received? Was she really mocking the trend? Or was it all appropriate — and she should now hopefully learn her lesson on how to approach and see Black creators?
Sound OFF with your take down in the comments (below)…
[Image via Lindsey Shaw/Instagram]
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