When so-called fans of The Boys attacked Erin Moriarty for “ruining” her face (their words, not ours), the actress took herself off social media in response to the vitriol. They’d gone so viral that former Fox News presenter Megyn Kelly decided to weigh in and accused Moriarty of having an “addiction” to plastic surgery.
In a since-deleted, lengthy Instagram post shared in January 2024, the actor said, “This is something I truly never anticipated writing. We’re all subject to levels of bullying throughout our lives but I am horrified, and I felt that I deserved to take a second to address these things.”
She concluded by saying she was “horrified by the reaction, the reductive assumptions, and the aforementioned video that is a primary example of such harassment. It’s broken my heart. You’ve broken my heart.” And with that, she took herself off the platform. (She’s since returned, though comments on her posts are limited.) In an interview with the New York Times, she addressed this obviously difficult time.
Here’s how Erin Moriarty responded to plastic surgery bullying
“For a few months, I thought my career was over,” she said, “because there was so much attention brought to something that I was told never to address.” The attention included increased paparazzi surveillance and online commentary went into overdrive.
Moriarty had the support of her co-stars, particularly Karen Fukuhara who plays Kimiko in The Boys. “I was really worried about her for a period of time,” she told the Times. “Nobody is bulletproof, even though I think she’s close to it.”
Something incredible happened after Moriarty shared her experience with online bullying, though. Women began reaching out to her with their own stories. She turned into a real-life Starlight in the process. “I had left it on a note where I’d explicitly said that I had been heartbroken by the comments,” she reflected. “Now, I’m not heartbroken. I’m galvanized.”
If you haven’t watched the show, Moriarty plays Starlight (real name Annie January), a morally upright and idealistic hero who initially joins The Seven with the hopes of doing genuine good. However, she quickly becomes disillusioned by the corruption and moral decay within The Seven and Vought International.
The Boys is available to stream on Prime Video, with new episodes each Tuesday.
