To paraphrase Michael Jordan, Republicans buy movie tickets too, and Disney wants them to keep doing so. So Rachel Zegler, the outspoken star of the studio’s upcoming live-action “Snow White” remake, has apologized for a forceful statement against Donald Trump she made after the former president’s re-election last week.
Last week, Zegler, who is currently starring in “Romeo & Juliet” on Broadway, posted on Instagram a reaction to Trump’s re-election that included statements like “another four years of hatred, leaning us towards a world I do not want to live in,” “there is a deep deep sickness in this country,” and “May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace.”
Conservatives reacted to her statement with outrage. On her show, former Fox News host Megyn Kelly said, “Hey Disney, you’re gonna have to redo your film again, because this woman is a pig, and you fired Gina Carano for far less than this nonsense,” referencing the conservative actress who was dropped from the Star Wars franchise after a string of controversial social media posts.
On Thursday night, Zegler posted an apology for her earlier statement on Instagram. “Hi everyone, I would like to sincerely apologize for the election post I shared on Instagram last week,” she wrote. “I let my emotions get the best of me. Hatred and anger have caused us to move further and further away from peace and understanding, and I am sorry I contributed to the negative discourse. This week has been emotional for so many of us, but I firmly believe that everyone has the right to their opinion, even when it differs from my own. I am committed to contributing positively towards a better tomorrow.”
This is not the first time Zegler has made the right mad. Last year, Zegler’s comments about how the new “Snow White” will be more progressive than the 1937 original sparked a backlash from conservatives as well as Disney devotees.
Zegler’s apology comes as Disney as a company is shifting from the outspoken progressivism of the last decade toward a more apolitical stance. During an April shareholder meeting, CEO Bob Iger said that the company is not out to “advance any kind of agenda,” but to “entertain people from all walks of life.”
