Despite being one of the biggest Netflix original series of all-time to this point, Wednesday hasn’t gone without its share of criticisms and issues, from Jenna Ortega’s comments about rewriting scripts causing a backlash to viewers railing on the show hinging on romantic storylines. (The previously renewed Season 2 will reportedly drop the lovey-dovey stuff.) One of the more potentially troubling situations revolved around star Percy Hynes White, who was accused via social media posts of sexually assaulting multiple females. After going quite a few months without directly addressing the claims, the actor has now spoken out and denied that any of the claims made were authentic.
Percy Hynes White took to his Instagram account to go public with his denial message, posting it to his Stories while also making it a (for now) permanent post. Here’s how his message began:
Hey everyone. There's something I need to clarify; Earlier this year, somebody I've never met started a campaign of misinformation about me online. Because of this, my family has been doxxed, and my friends have received death threats. Underage photos of me were used, and examples of me acting in character were presented as hateful. My friend Jane was falsely portrayed as a victim, and her attempts to set the record straight have been ignored. She gave me permission to include her in this message. The rumors are false. I can't accept the portrayal of me as someone bigoted, or criminally negligent of people's safety. These are the kind of baseless, harmful claims that can create mistrust toward victims.
Though White didn’t directly call anyone out, it seems clear he was referring to the accusations made back in January, when several messages were posted on Twitter that accused the 21-year-old and his friends of throwing parties where young women were supplied with alcohol and drugs, with the intention of having sex with them. The presumed woman who shared the message accused White of assaulting her at one of those parties, and claimed it also happened to several of her friends, implying that one or more instances took place when the females were underage.
After that first message went public, other accusations cropped up on Twitter, also without much to corroborate the claims made. In response, more than a few Wednesday fans called for Percy Hynes White to be fired, and for his character Xavier to be removed from the show.
The Wednesday star explained that the accusers used his real photos and real friends in order to paint a false narrative about him, and claims that his family and friends have suffered unjustly because of the “false” allegations. He continued, imploring for others to stop harassing his loved ones, saying:
It's very distressing to know that this misinformation has upset people. I'm really thankful for everyone who's stood by me and helped share the facts. Harassment of my family, friends and coworkers needs to stop please. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
The original tweets calling White out have since been deleted, and no further allegations were made public in the time since. Whether or not that initial accuser will share a response to his denial is unknown.
As dust appears to be settling on this back-and-forth, fans can rewatch the entire first season of Wednesday with a Netflix subscription while waiting for the second season to arrive, presumably in 2024.
