Shameik Moore, the brilliant actor in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” found himself in the midst of an unexpected social media uproar involving model and actress Laura Harrier. The uproar raised questions about private space and how social media may impact relationships.
On December 20, Laura Harrier-one of the stars of White Men Can’t Jump and Liz in Spider-Man: Homecoming-took her discomfort to TikTok about a video Moore had put up a year prior. It was a clip of the two of them taking pictures together at some event, but it was the caption-“coming soon”-that set tongues wagging as people speculated about their possible relationship. Harrier is engaged to Sam Jarou, and she made it clear she wanted to set the record straight.
“I texted him, ‘Hey, can you take this down? I’m not sure why you would post that. Also, I am literally getting married and I don’t like this insinuation that something is going on between us if that was your intention, ” Harrier said in her TikTok. Moore didn’t take the video down, and she declared that he’s a “fucking weirdo.” The actress expressed that he should have been more respectful over her engagement.
After outrage and memes started piling up against Moore, he posted, then deleted, a clarifying video where he referred to the situation as a misunderstanding and insisted no harm was meant. He said, “It’s really the fan fiction, man. It’s the commentary… that’s what’s fucking weird.” The actor insisted his posting about art did not at all insinuate romance or anything of the like between him and Harrier.
“I’m sorry this all happened, there was just a misunderstanding,” said Moore at the end to soften up what had taken place with regard to this incident.
After this public spat, Moore did the unthinkable and deleted all his social media accounts. This has left fans speculating about his mental health and how he copes with public scrutiny. It would appear that the pressure from social media can be overwhelming, especially when misunderstandings escalate into public controversies.
While both actors have gotten their word across, the entire incident brings into view how celebrities conduct their lives amidst social media dominance. What often gets blurred is where the line between personal expression and public perception is to be drawn.
For artists like Moore and Harrier, their creative minds often blur into their personal lives. When one is putting out content-music or film-into the world, one runs the risk of those works being misconstrued by fans and followers. Moore’s intention for posting the video may have been a ploy to promote the artist side of his life and not at all insinuate romance.
