Ariana DeBose Deletes Twitter After “Cringe” BAFTA Performance, Laughs Off Critics

It isn’t easy performing in front of a packed audience, but Ariana DeBose did just that for a room full of her peers. The Academy Award-winning actress, dancer, and singer recently took to the BAFTA stage to open the awards ceremony. The Westside Story star joined several backup dancers and delivered a rap about the nominees and blockbuster films. However, the performance was said to have fallen flat as the BAFTA audience looked on in silence.

It didn’t take long for DeBose to receive the meme treatment. People also stormed the internet to call the display “cringe,” and many questioned why it was approved. “Angela Bassett did the thing, Viola Davis my ‘Woman King,’” DeBose rapped. “Blanchett Cate you’re a genius, Jamie Lee you are all of us.” As online commentary grew, the actress was further defended by production.

Ariana Debose Removes Herself From Social Media

BAFTAs awards producer Nick Bullen told Variety that criticisms were “unfair.” He also claimed DeBose worked closely with her team to create and choreograph her piece. After a day or two of finding her mentions flooded with critics, trolls, and cruelty, DeBose reportedly deleted her Twitter account. Her fans were disappointed at how she was treated by the public.

“We wanted to open the show with some energy, some fun,” Bullen also shared. “And also lay out straight away that this was hopefully going to feel like a different night, but with a familiarity as well, and what Ariana did was exactly that. I think a lot of people don’t like change, and there’s a view that the BAFTAs have to be this slightly stiff, traditional British, middle-England messaging. But American awards shows have much more razzmatazz, much more showbiz, and perhaps a broader range of people being involved. We felt we’re not about revolution, we’re about evolution.”

Ariana DeBose Laughs Of Critics

Additionally, after Evan Ross Katz shared several memes of DeBose, she appeared in his comment section. It looks like she’s also aware of the overwhelming “Angela Bassett did a thing” memes that have popped up on the internet. To them, she said, “Honestly I love this.” Check it out above.

[via]