The actor insists he is "no bully" after sharing a snap of a woman at the airport whom he claimed described him as “chunky” in a photo.
Suits star Patrick J. Adams has penned a public apology after a photo he posted on Instagram sparked accusations of bullying.
On Sunday, Adams shared a snap of a woman at the airport whom he claimed described him as “chunky” in a photo from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, which Adams attended with his actress wife, Troian Bellisario.
“She reads her paper. See’s picture of me and Troian from wedding,” Adams captioned the photo, according to The Daily Mail. “’My God. What a terrible photo of you.’ I look over. ‘Really. I kind of like that photo. What do you think is wrong with it?’ She pauses. ‘Well, you’re just so….chunky.’ ”
Following backlash from some followers, Adams deleted the photo and posted an apology on Monday.
“Yesterday I posted a photo of a woman who did some casual body shaming of my wife and I in the airport,” the 36-year-old actor explained. “My intention was solely to put a face to the people who think that sort of glancing commentary is necessary, helpful or funny. Some of the comments on the post instead said I was being a bully and should have taken the ‘high road’ (some also doubled down on the body shaming. Thumbs up guys!) I thought it over and agreed and took it down, not because I felt the woman was right or fair or undeserving of being called out, but because any sense of being a bully or lashing out felt wrong.”
Adams added that while he is “no bully,” he felt the woman’s comments were “offensive and unnecessary.” Reflecting on his decision to share her photo on social media, he said that in hindsight he should have confronted her about her alleged rudeness in person.
“I’m sorry I didn’t,” he wrote. “I was too shocked and annoyed and Canadian -- so I avoided the confrontation. Again, I’m sorry.”
“Let’s just finish with a quick summary,” he added later in the post. “1. Don’t talk sh** about the way people look. You have no idea what’s going on with them and your commentary will always make their day worse not better. 2. If someone does. Don’t use the internet to settle scores. Tell them right to their face and in public that they’re part of the problem and not the solution. 3. Believe pretty much nothing you read in magazines. Good or bad. The machinery runs on misfortune and oversimplification. 4. Be cool to yourself and others at every opportunity. Life is too short for all of this. Thx for reading. Now back to our lives...”
Adams and Bellisario, 32, were returning from a weekend of wedding festivities for Adams' former co-star and screen wife, Markle, who is now the Duchess of Sussex.
Several of Markle’s other ex-castmates attended the extravagant ceremony, including Gabriel Macht and Gina Torres.
See more on the royal wedding below.
RELATED COVERAGE:
News
