KJ Apa Responds to Criticism for His Silence Amid the Black Lives Matter Protests

Apa reacted to fans who have criticized him for staying silent about the Black Lives Matter movement on social media.

KJ Apa responded after being called out for his lack of social media posts about Black Lives Matter movement.

He made it clear that he does not find it necessary to post his opinion on social media. KJ claims it is real to him either way.

He went on to clarify that he supports Black Lives Matter Movement, but does not feel necessary to prove people his attendance at these protests.

The 22-year-old clarified on Twitter, on Sunday.

KJ Apa had to comment after comedian Elijah Daniel tweeted about him. He called out the actor for starring in a 2018 film adaptation of Angie Thomas’ novel “The Hate U Give” but remaining “silent” about current events. The movie addresses police brutality and racism.

Daniel questioned KJ of being a part of the film and still maintaining silence. He went on to say how KJ has such a massive audience. Still he has only put up a black square, he questioned.

Daniel later responded to KJ’s reply. He said he did not imply he needed him to prove anything. He went on to explain that it was a question about him not using his “extremely large platform”. Especially after being paid to be in a film about police brutality, Daniel explained.

The black square that KJ posted was a reference to mark Blackout Tuesday. It was a social media action to show solidarity amid the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality protests across the US.

Apart from the Blackout Tuesday post, Apa has not shared any resources for his fans to contribute to the movement.

Fans urged KJ to use his platform

Fans argued that the New Zealand native, who has 18.3 million followers on Instagram and 2.1 million followers on Twitter, should use his platform to be more proactive. He should be sharing information regarding donating, protesting, and other ways to help.

KJ’s fans urged him to use his vast platform to spread the word. They also assured him that posting something on social media is not to “prove” anything, but to amplify the movement.

Many followers informed him that he might have a lot of black followers who will appreciate if he supported them. They also said that “staying silent is a part of the problem.”

Others told KJ that he should not feel obligated to post anything for BLM.

Apa’s recent posts on social media have mainly shown him playing guitar or sharing footage of nature. 

However, a Twitter user said that they saw Apa and “Riverdale” costar Charles Melton at a protest in Montana, on Sunday. Apa protested with fans in Missoula, in a photo shared online. 

Apa appears to be traveling with Melton and “Riverdale” alum Rob Raco. Apa’s social media silence regarding BLM contrasted the actions of his “Riverdale” costars. 

‘Riverdale’ stars’ contribution

Cole Sprouse recently said that he was arrested during a BLM demonstration in Santa Monica, California.

Days later, he was photographed at a protest with costar Madelaine Petsch, model Kaia Gerber, and actors Eiza Gonzalez and Margaret Qualley. 

Petsch and costar Camila Mendes also appeared at the same protest together on June 3. 

Lili Reinhart posted about protests and has been using her Instagram account to host livestreams and amplify Black voices. 

Meanwhile, Vanessa Morgan spoke about Black representation in the media. Using them “as sidekick non-dimensional characters to our white leads.”

Morgan said that she’s “the only black series regular but also paid the least” on “Riverdale”. She said she was “used as the token biracial bisexual”. 

Her comments received full support from costars Reinhart, Ashleigh Murray, and Asha Bromfield.

The actress later said that she will support Black designers going forward and made it clear that she’ll be more selective about the roles she takes and will “fight” for her Black fans.