Oh, so you’re telling me you “went out†and “partied†with “friends†and “loved ones†to “celebrate New Year’s Eve†last night, and now you’re confused about why John Boyega is trending on Twitter? Firstly, that’s a flex. Congrats to you.
Also, boy do we have some catching up to do. (Rise of the Skywalker spoilers ahead.) For context, Boyega has been pretty loose and candid with fans and the press in the lead-up to this latest Star Wars installment, in a way that’s unexpected from a player in a major Disney production. First, his Star Wars script leaked to eBay and he totally owned up to it and joked about it on Good Morning America. Then, he told Hypebeast that Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi was “a bit iffy for me,†explaining that he did not “agree with a lot of the choices†in the 2017 film. He also seemed to call Kelly Marie Tran “weak†and “not mentally strong†in a Variety interview that touched on toxic trolling, although he later clarified his comments and apologized.
Then, on Tuesday, Twitter user @crogmen posted a screenshot of one of John Boyega’s Instagram comments, writing, “bro you re extremly disgusting and gross also fucking disrespectful…you cannot be this jealous of adam driver dude as a black woman im fucking ashamed that someone like you represented us in star wars.†It shows Boyega responding to a caption about Reylo (the ship name for Kylo Ren and Rey) with the comment: “@heyfabrice it’s not about who she kisses but who eventually lays the pipe. You are a genius.†(The account that posted the original Insta caption is set to private.)
Fans on Twitter were disturbed by the language Boyega used to joke about his character sleeping with Daisy Ridley’s, who is meant to be an empowering Star Wars figure for young, female fans. Boyega engaged with the tweet not by apologizing for the deeply un-Disney-like way of crudely sexualizing female Jedi and intergalactic role model Rey, but by responding: “You obviously don’t know the difference between a fictional world and reality.â€
Twitter user @FaberLima1 tweeted that Boyega “better stop†as he’s “worsening his image,†so Boyega broke out the cry-laughing emojis. Absolutely brutal. It was the point of no return. He was standing up for what he believed in: tweeting about a Disney character played by himself laying pipe in another Disney character played by Daisy Ridley.
Would he take a moment to “reflect and learn,†in the words of @hellyeahyoda? Laughable!
Did that Kevin-laughing-GIF come across as callous? Boom. Boyega hit ya with a sarcastic Lauren Conrad. Quadrupling down on his bad takes.
A couple of hours later, still not done baiting the Reylo fans, Boyega tweeted out a photoset of Kylo and Rey fighting with the caption “Star Wars romance,†suggesting that their violent creepy relationship wasn’t worth defending. That, or he was just jealous that his character didn’t get the girl.
This led to more fan engagement and an almost dangerous abuse of the cry-laughing emoji.
Twitter user @i_amthe_senate called him a “misogynist,†and he clapped back.
And in what is by far the most egregious offense of all, he tweeted a caption-less GIF of the Joker dancing on the steps. The death bells. The dance of freedom. Far too twisted.
Here’s a palate cleanser, though. The day before the rise of FinnJoker, professional Twitter sweetie Mark Hamill waded into the fray, sort of, by penning a FinnPoe love poem/light fanfic.
Luke never met either Finn or Poe
So what they do behind closed doors
I guess I’ll never know…
But I would like to also note that love is love
Whatever floats your boat. #LGBTerrific
Adorable. As his display name says: Mark HammyNewYear!