Rachel Zegler, the embattled star of Disney’s live-action Snow White, has thrown herself into the eye of a social media storm following the film’s catastrophic box office performance. Just days after dismal ticket sales confirmed the $270 million remake as one of Disney’s biggest flops, Zegler reportedly unleashed a scathing post on Instagram, venting her frustration and anger. Far from rallying support, the now-deleted outburst has sparked a ferocious backlash, with critics and fans alike slamming the actress for her uncontrolled rhetoric and accusing her of alienating the very audience she needed to save the film.
Snow White, which hit theaters on March 21, 2025, was billed as a bold reimagining of the 1937 classic, with Zegler cast as a fierce, modern princess. Instead, it’s become a textbook disaster, grossing a meager $43 million domestically in its opening weekend and limping to $168 million worldwide after two weeks—far short of the $400 million needed to break even. Critics have savaged it, handing out a 40% Rotten Tomatoes score, while audiences have stayed away, leaving theaters eerily quiet. From lackluster CGI dwarfs to Gal Gadot’s panned Evil Queen, the film has been dogged by problems, but Zegler’s off-screen antics have kept her in the crosshairs.
On Wednesday night, April 9, 2025, Zegler reportedly took to Instagram with a post that didn’t mince words: “I poured my soul into this role, and all you’ve done is tear it apart with hate and lies. It’s disgusting how this world chooses cruelty over kindness.” The post, deleted within hours, spread like wildfire across social platforms, racking up screenshots and reactions before it vanished. Rather than earning sympathy, Zegler’s words were met with a barrage of criticism, with many calling her tone defensive and unprofessional. Online commentators accused her of blaming fans for the film’s failure instead of owning her role in its troubled rollout.
The backlash was swift. On platforms like X, users branded the post “petulant” and “out of touch,” arguing that Zegler’s pattern of controversial statements—such as dismissing the original Snow White as “dated” or posting politically charged messages during the film’s campaign—had already turned audiences off. Her “Free Palestine” post hours after the trailer’s release and an anti-Trump rant following his 2024 re-election were cited as exhibits A and B in why fans skipped the film. “She can’t keep calling people cruel when she’s burning bridges left and right,” one commenter wrote, capturing a sentiment echoed across forums.
Disney, staring down a projected $115 million loss, has remained silent on the matter, though sources suggest the studio has been scrambling to manage Zegler’s public image for months. Insiders claim producers, including Marc Platt, met with her to curb her social media activity, but the latest flare-up shows those efforts have fallen flat. The actress’s somber demeanor in recent paparazzi photos—spotted in New York looking drained—hints at the toll of the controversy, though her team has yet to address the deleted post.
Not everyone’s piling on. Supporters, including figures like singer Lily Allen, argue Zegler’s been unfairly targeted by a toxic mix of culture wars and misogyny, pointing to her acclaimed work in West Side Story as proof of her talent. Yet with Snow White sinking deeper into obscurity and Zegler’s name tied to its wreckage, the path forward looks rocky. As the internet continues to dissect her outburst, one question lingers: can this former princess charm her way back into Hollywood’s good graces, or has her fairytale run out of magic?
