Halle Bailey has had to overcome many racist and misogynistic comments throughout her career, especially since she was announced as Ariel in 2023’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. Nearly a year after its $118 million-grossing debut weekend, the actress was once again the subject of hateful remarks on social media.
On Saturday (March 2), right-wing commentator Elijah Schaffer tweeted a photo of Bailey with the caption, “When exactly did Hollywood become flooded with ugly people?” A separate post on the following day (March 3) read, “The new Little Mermaid actress,” with an image of E.T. attached.
Unsurprisingly, Schaffer’s rude statements rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, including Bailey’s boyfriend, DDG. The Michigan native, who shares a son with actress, fired back on Twitter today (March 4). He responded, “I’m smokin’ on yo’ dead a** mama. That dumb b**ch should’ve got a better doctor.” The YouTuber-turned-rapper also shared a picture of a blunt with the internet personality’s mother edited onto it.
Schaffer’s mom passed away in 2020 from a rare form of cancer. According to the podcaster, she had 60 percent of her soft tissue removed and portions of her jaw carved out in three life-saving surgeries, leaving her face permanently disfigured.
In October 2023, Bailey spoke about dealing with hate and how it inspired her debut solo single, “Angel.” In an op-ed for Glamour, she wrote, “When you’re a Black woman, you have to deal with the realities of discrimination. I’m from Georgia, so it’s nothing new to me, but it gets harder when you have a lot of eyes on you. There are so many expectations that come with being a public figure; people expect you to hold yourself in a certain way.”
“It’s been a beautiful learning experience for me, learning how to block out all of that noise,” the artist continued. “I’ve made sure to surround myself with loved ones and take social media breaks, as much as I love seeing my friends’ pictures on my feed. When it all gets too much, I turn to nature: I go swimming, hiking, or even just up to my rooftop to feel the sun on my skin.”
On a more positive note, DDG and Bailey hung out with Oscar award-winning actress Halle Berry last month. They shared photos from the LA Galaxy versus Inter Miami opener on Feb. 25. The “Moonwalking in Calabasas” hitmaker hilariously responded to a fan cropping him out one of the images, writing on Twitter, “At least let me keep [an] eyeball in that [motherf**ker] if [you] gon’ crop it.”