Wednesday cast member Percy Hynes White broke his silence on the controversy he faced earlier this year after being accused of sexual assault.
“Hey everyone. There’s something I need to clarify,” the Netflix actor, 21, wrote in a statement via his Instagram Stories on Tuesday, June 6. “Earlier this year, somebody I’ve never met started a campaign of misinformation about me online. Because of this, my family has been doxed and my friends have received death threats.”
Throughout his lengthy post, Percy claimed that on top of people using “underage photos” and “examples of [him] acting in character” to portray him as a “hateful” person, his friend, whom he identified as Jane, got thrown into the story.
“My friend Jane was falsely portrayed as a victim, and her attempts to set the record straight have been ignored,” he continued, adding, “She gave me permission to include her in this message.”
The former Gifted star then insisted that the “the rumors are false” and that he wouldn’t accept anyone depicting him as “someone bigoted or criminally negligent of people’s safety.”
“These are the kind of baseless, harmful claims that can create mistrust toward victims,” he added. “It’s very distressing to know that this misinformation has upset people. I’m really thankful for everyone who’s stood by me and helped share the facts.”
Percy concluded his statement by noting, “Harassment of my family, friends and coworkers needs to stop please. Thank you for taking the time to read this.”
In January, a Twitter user claimed a since-deleted thread that Percy and some of his friends were “predators and trying to manipulate girls into f—king them or giving them nudes.” The social media user also alleged that they would “explicitly invite women they thought were hot so they could get them drunk and high enough to have sex with them, and lie about being high and drunk as well.”
The person also alleged that the Canadian actor used a racial slur in the past.
As a result, the hashtag #cancelpercy trended on Twitter earlier this year, with some Wednesday fans even calling on the show to recast Percy’s character, Xavier Thorpe, with a new actor. However, no one from the streaming service or production team has addressed the accusations against him.
For her part, series star Jenna Ortega has not publicly commented on the rumors surrounding her costar, but she and Percy have remained close buds. The two attended the Golden Globe Awards together in January.
If you or anyone you know has been sexually abused, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Hits: 0
