Former ‘Supergirl’ Star Mehcad Brooks Got Death Threats From Racist Viewers
America’s latest wave of racial tensions and revolution was spurred by the death of George Floyd, another unarmed Black man who died in police custody. In the wake of the tragedy, many celebrities have spoken out about widespread disparities and discrimination.
One such star, Mehcad Brooks, who played James Olsen on Supergirl, revealed some racially-charged negative experiences with his Twitter followers. The actor was hounded on social media by threats of violence from racist viewers. Here’s what he said about what happened.
Racists threatened Mehcad Brooks’ life after his character kissed a White woman
On Supergirl, Brooks’ character, James, was an earnest journalist who became one of National City’s heroes. Between his full-time job running the CatCo media empire and his extracurricular activities as a vigilante, it’s a wonder that he had any time for a personal life at all.
As destiny would have it, James fell head over heels for science whiz Lena Luthor, and the feeling was mutual. Alas, the romance burned hot and fast, leaving the duo separated, but with mutual respect for one another. James, who had been a close friend of Supergirl since the beginning, ultimately left town early in season five.
Although the love affair between James and Lena was short-lived, they did enjoy a bit of canoodling while they were together. According to Brooks, those smooches set off a firestorm from racists who balked at the sight of a Black man kissing a White woman.
Brooks shared his experience, adding validity to the Black Lives Matter movement
In a series of tweets, Brooks detailed how he feared for his safety after individuals threatened his life due to his on-screen interracial relationship. He tweeted this:
“Don’t believe this is real yet? I almost skipped Comic-Con 2019 because of death threats I received on Twitter for kissing Katie McGrath. I had to demand extra security and metal detectors. I lost sleep over that. We are tired of being stuck in between hopeless and hopeful. #BLM.”
After letting his followers in on the situation, some fans placed the blame on McGrath, calling for her dismissal from Supergirl. Brooks promptly defended his former scene partner and friend. He wrote this:
“Hey, guy, my mention of the death threats I received prior to Comic-Con over kissing Katie McGrath are not her fault. Stop all petitions on my behalf. Your passion is heard, but hear me too. I was making a point about how much of a real threat white supremacy is. Katie is kindness.”
In yet another tweet, Brooks doubled down on his support for McGrath, pointing out that she is a Black Lives Matter ally. He put the blame squarely on the white supremacy movement in America. Brooks tweeted the following statement:
Please take my original tweet about the death threats as what they were. A look into how widespread white supremacy is.
Katie McGrath has always been supportive and is one of my dearest friends and anti-racist allies. She is NOT the problem. She stands with Black Lives Matter.
Mehcad Brooks via Twitter
