Summer dreams of rest and relaxation quickly evaporated into poisonous comments and harmful bullying after fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty failed to separate actors from characters, taking the show too literally. The Prime Video hit, based on Jenny Han’s beloved book trilogy, recently drew widespread attention as its final season slowly conducted the infamous love triangle of Isabel “Belly” Conklin and her two love interests, Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher to a close. Unfortunately, instead of focusing on a beautiful farewell to an emotional coming-of-age story, fans focused on themes of drama and separation within the show and took out their negative feelings on the actors portraying the characters in the show.
Although the drama on screen came from a script, the online backlash towards certain actors and their characters came from nothing but negativity. Casalegno, who plays the bright-eyed, sun-kissed, emotionally open Jeremiah Fisher, finds himself in the crosshairs of the internet’s ugliest tendencies. What began as playful sides between “Team Conrad” and “Team Jeremiah” morphed into something cruel. As the show revealed Belly’s final choice of love interest in the final season, disappointment from certain fans hardened into toxic obsession as fans directed venom squarely at Casalegno. Entire TikToks dedicated to mocking Casalegno’s expression, Tweets dissected his acting with a cruelty that went far beyond critique, Reddit Threads picked apart his appearance, and many individuals went so far as to target Casalegno for his personal and political views, subjecting him to cyberbullying, harassment, and even death threats.
Strong writing, compelling acting, and a deep connection with the show allowed fans to feel so passionately for Belly’s journey from an uncertain girl to a young woman figuring out who she is and whom she loves. What started as harmlessly sharing opinions spiraled into personal attacks as fans began turning character preferences into reasons to harass real people. What started as a way to discuss the show and its characters for entertainment spiraled into what some could even classify as abuse. Many fans reflect on the fandom’s toxic turn such as Noelle Mayo (10) who comments, “Fandoms should be fun, but the The Summer I Turned Pretty fandom can get really toxic sometimes, especially with Team Conrad vs. Team Jeremiah fights. Platforms could do more to keep things safe so people can share opinions without it turning into bullying or harassment. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.”
According to CBS News, a celebration of stories has changed into a justification for toxic behavior. Fans claim it is “just opinions” or “free speech,” but at what point does free expression become a weapon? Reaghan Morris (12), puts it plainly, “Actors and actresses don’t sign up for abuse just because they’re famous. People seem to act like fame means you have to accept hate, but actors are just doing their jobs.” Katelyn Woolcock (9) adds, “Absolutely no one should have to just ‘take’ online abuse, even celebrities. They are real people with feelings, not just the characters we see on screen. Viewers seem to forget that and try to justify their actions.” In response to the growing hostility, The Summer I Turned Pretty’s official social media team released a sharp, much-needed statement stating, “the summer we started acting normal online.” The team called for fans to embrace the series’ spirit of love, growth, and compassion instead of weaponizing fictional outcomes to justify real world cruelty.
Behind the filters and red carpet appearances, actors become nothing but real people navigating sudden fame, endless scrutiny, and the pressure of living up to fan’s fantasies. As The Summer I Turned Pretty comes to an end, fans celebrate, or mourn, the ending and can respectfully share opinions. However, joining a fandom does not give a fan permission to dehumanize the actors and actresses within the show. In The Summer I Turned Pretty’s finale Belly gets a choice between who to love; the choice, although messy, is real, and the most important part remains that the choice belongs to no one but her. Now fans get a chance to make a choice, will they choose to respect the show and its finale, or will they traumatize and bully harmless actors with pure intentions due to an inability to accept a fictional character’s choice in men?
