Florence Pugh is the latest celebrity to be hit with a projectile onstage
How many times do stars have to tell fans to stop endangering them?
There are only so many ways we can open an article about fans throwing stuff at celebrities who are just trying to do their jobs. This author, at least, was convinced she’d never have to come up with another quippy thing to say about this whole stupid “trend,” and she’s only written a fraction of the huge number of articles we’ve had to publish about it this year. (As a refresher, Cardi B, Bebe Rexha, Kelsea Ballerini, Pink, Harry Styles, and more have all fallen victim to so-called “fans” launching things at their heads in previous months.)
Apparently not satisfied with making concerts so unpredictable and unsafe that stars like Miley Cyrus have sworn off touring forever, the projectile-chuckers have decided to move on to bigger and better things. In other words, they’ve decided to start throwing things at actors now, many of whom are embarking on their first press tours in months since the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike. Can no one catch a break around here?
Florence Pugh is the unlucky first (but probably not the last) actor to be subjected to this idiotic behavior. As can be seen in videos from many different angles around the internet, Pugh was hit in the face with what looks like two beaded bracelets while attending a panel to promote Dune 2 with her cast-mates in São Paolo, Brazil. In the footage, Pugh visibly recoils from the impact while her cast-mates look on in shock.
As of this writing, Pugh has posted a number of clips from the event on her Instagram story, but has not addressed the incident directly. “Coming in here, the power of this room is because of the first movie,” she said of the raucous crowd when she entered (via People). “We felt that when we went on set every single day. So it feels really, really special being here with the second one. And I’m very, very proud.”
But while it may have spread its wings, this trend hasn’t left the arenas either. Last week, R&B singer Ari Lennox narrowly dodged a bottle thrown at her while performing in California. “Who the fuck did it? I don’t play that shit,” she said from the stage in response. “Don’t you ever disrespect a beautiful Black woman on the fucking stage like that.” At a recent tour stop in Buenos Aires, Taylor Swift also asked fans to refrain from throwing: “Just because communication means having gentle healthy boundaries—it really freaks me out when stuff gets thrown on the stage. Because if it’s on the stage then a dancer can trip on it and I love that you brought presents and that is so nice, but just can you please not throw them on the stage. I love you so much.”