Despite The Boys season 3 being described by its showrunner as “a meditation on toxic masculinity,” some toxic ‘fans’ are so lacking in self-awareness, they’re failing to realise that, with characters like Homelander and Todd, they’re literally the butt of the jokes.
Fortunately, Eric Kripke set these people straight in a Twitter statement on September 7, which he wrote in response to Erin Moriarty, who plays Annie January on the TV series, opening up about misogynistic trolling she received.
“Hi trolls! One, this is literally the opposite of the show’s fucking message,” he wrote. “Two, you’re causing pain to real people with real feelings. Be kind. If you can’t be kind, then eat a bag of dicks, fuck off to the sun & don’t watch The Boys, we don’t want you.” Moriarty spoke candidly about the impact misogynistic trolling had on her in an Instagram post that reshared a fan article entitled, ‘#IStandWithStarlight?: The Betrayal of Erin Moriarty by The Boys Fans.’
The article, which was originally written by Instagram user @butcherscanary, noted that “the harassment [Moriarty faces] feels all the worse given the context of her role as Starlight on the show, a woman silenced and sexualized, treated like a celebrity canvas for others to project onto rather than a human being with her own thoughts and feeling.”
“But Annie is fictional,” the article about the comedy series added, “and Erin is not. The torment doesn’t end for her when the credit starts because there is no switch off.” In an Instagram post accompanying the article, Moriarty admitted the harassment left her feeling “silenced” and “dehumanised.”
“This does break my heart,” she added. “I’ve opened up a vein for this role and the misogynistic trolling is exactly what this role (Annie) would speak out against.” The Boys cast members Antony Starr and Jack Quaid were among those pledging their support for Moriarty in Instagram comments.