If you’re still on X, you won’t have escaped the flood of content about Rachel Zegler. Her name is everywhere. Depending on what the algorithm serves you, you’ve either heard that she’s ‘spoiled,’ ‘hard to work with,’ and not an accurate representation of the totally fictional character Snow White. Or, if your timeline looks like mine, you’ve seen people breaking down the backlash, exposing how Rachel has been bullied, harassed, and smeared.
A bit of background before we get into why this matters. Rachel plays Snow White in the live-action adaptation, which was released on 21 March 2025. Since her casting was announced, she has been the target of racist and misogynistic abuse. In 2023, she tweeted: “Extremely appreciative of the love I feel from those defending me online, but please don’t tag me in the nonsensical discourse about my casting.”
Rachel, who is Latina, is not the first actor to face a racist backlash for starring in a Disney remake. Halle Bailey, who played Ariel in The Little Mermaid, was subjected to a wave of racism for taking on the role. The far right thrives on moments like this – latching onto ‘culture war’ debates to justify their beliefs. Ariel and Snow White are, of course, not real people. Complaints about their portrayal being “inaccurate” (whatever that means) aren’t rooted in artistic integrity; they’re about rejecting diversity.
We've waited long enough, and it's finally almost here.
Rachel has also been targeted for her political beliefs. In August 2023, she thanked her fans for their support on X, before adding: “And always remember, free Palestine.” She has remained firm in her stance, refusing to delete the post despite alleged pressure from Snow White producer Marc Platt.
According to a Variety report, Platt allegedly flew to New York to personally ask Zegler to take the tweet down. The same report claims he later approached her again after she posted “F**k Donald Trump” and “May Trump supporters … never know peace” on Instagram. This reportedly resulted in Zegler being required to have a “social media guru” vet her posts before the film’s release.
Writing for Variety, Tatiana Siegel claims Rachel “trashed the beloved original Snow White,” but her piece seems to have backfired, rallying support for Rachel across social media.
Many have pointed out the hypocrisy of demanding that Rachel stay silent on political issues while her co-star, Gal Gadot, has spoken openly in support of Israel and the IDF (which she served in for two years). One viral post on X read: “Rachel Zegler had one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood fly out specifically to ask her to delete a tweet in support of Palestine, and she refused. More backbone and integrity at 23 than 99% of powerful people in this country. A queen.” It received over 190,000 likes.
Racism, anti-feminism and slavery have cast a shadow over the film since its inception, and it's exhausting. Just let us have the damn fish movie.
Rachel Zegler is the latest woman in Hollywood to be targeted by a smear campaign. Online, people have turned on her, branding her “difficult” and “annoying”, as if either of those things would justify harassment. What has she actually done? She has asked to be paid fairly, existed as a Latina woman, and expressed her political beliefs. None of this warrants a pile-on; if anything, it deserves applause.
We’ve seen this before. These smear campaigns don’t come out of nowhere – they are often orchestrated. Women who speak up against systems of oppression or challenge the status quo are torn down with whispers about their temperament. Blake Lively, Amber Heard, Meghan Markle, Pamela Anderson, Rose McGowan, Angelina Jolie, the list goes on. The pattern is clear: these attacks are often rooted in misogyny, racism, or, if you’re a woman of colour, both. Meanwhile, known or accused abusers continue to be protected by Hollywood. Simply because they are men.
Right now, we are witnessing an attempt to destroy Rachel Zegler’s career. Let’s not fall for it. Instead, let’s rally around her and push for her success rather than allowing baseless takedowns to define her. Rachel may be just 23, but Hollywood has a lot to learn from her.
GLAMOUR has reached out to Marc Plat and Walt Disney Pictures for a comment. This article will be kept updated.
“I've never seen myself on a big screen, so when I see myself there, I'm just like, “Is that me? Did I really do that?”
