- Ariana Debose was accused of shading her West Side Story co-star Rachel Zegler
- Debose reposted a quote that reportedly originated from a shady post about Zegler
- The actress has denied shading her old co-star and has clarified her stance
Ariana DeBose has denied that she shaded her West Side Story co-star Rachel Zegler in a reposted quote. In West Side Story, Rachel Zegler plays María, and Ariana DeBose plays Anita, and their characters have a close relationship. DeBose, 31, said she did not know she was quoting criticism about her co-star. Zegler has been at the forefront of a media storm since the Disney remake of Snow White was announced.
The Snow White star, 23, faced criticism for her casting in the movie as a Colombian and Polish woman. Additionally, her comments regarding the original being outdated and the prince “stalking” Snow White caused outrage among fans. Disney even scaled back the premiere for the movie to only in-house and approved photographers. That’s when you know the publicity for the film is not going well!
Read More: What were Rachel Zegler’s past acting roles?
Disney did not say why they decided to scale back the premiere, but rumors online did not make the reason seem good. Coupled with the fact that the film’s low box office draw has not made the House of Mouse happy, as they could be set to lose $115m. Despite all the criticism, DeBose is coming to defend herself and Zegler. Find out what she said here.
What did Ariana DeBose say about Rachel Zegler?
Debose posted the quote, which read “Narcissism is not something to be coddled or encouraged,” in an Instagram post on 1 April. However, she swiftly deleted the post.
On her Instagram Stories, she clarified what she was posting about.
She said, “I post quotes all the time and thought this one was meaningful. Will fully cop to the fact I did not do any research on where this quote came from, nor did I know of the connection until it was pointed out to me”.
“I have no intention of inserting myself into a news cycle. This is not the first time I’ve posted about dealing with narcissism, and it probably won’t be the last, but next time I’ll be sure to clarify its origins first,” DeBose continued.
The origin of Ariana DeBose’s quote
The quote was from a reshared comment by Jonah Platt, the son of Snow White producer Marc Platt. Platt said his father had to fly to see Zegler in New York to talk to her about her behavior and words during the press tour. He responded to a comment on Instagram asking about his father visiting Zegler to stop the bad press for Snow White.
Zegler had been vocal and made a post that said “always remember, free Palestine”, which Platt reportedly wanted her to take down. There were fears that Zegler’s outspoken attitude to politics would affect the film’s promotion.
Many people also pointed out that Zegler’s co-star Gal Gadot, had opposing political views as an Israeli woman. However, she has not been as vocal as Zegler in her support for Palestine in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
In part of his comment, Platt said: “Free speech does not mean you’re allowed to say whatever you want in your private employment without repercussions. Tens of thousands of people worked on that film, and she hijacked the conversation for her own immature desires at the risk of all the colleagues and crew, and blue-collar workers who depend on that movie to be successful. Narcissism is not something to be coddled or encouraged.”
You can read the full post below.
NEW: The son of 'Snow White' producer Marc Platt absolutely unleashes on Rachel Zegler for ruining his father's movie.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 26, 2025
Jonah Platt is ripping the 23-year-old actress for getting political and ruining Snow White.
The comment from Platt was found on Instagram after one user asked… pic.twitter.com/1k1xnnw2af
Rachel Zegler has not responded to DeBose’s post.
