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Billboard Women in Music 2025
Ariana DeBose has clarified that she did not know she was quoting a criticism of her “West Side Story” co-star Rachel Zegler when she posted a quote reading “Narcissism is not something to be coddled or encouraged” in a since-deleted Instagram post Tuesday.
“I post quotes all the time and thought this one was meaningful. Will fully cop to the fact I did not do any research on where this quote came from, nor did I know of the connection until it was pointed out to me,” DeBose wrote on her Instagram story Tuesday evening. “I have no intention of inserting myself into a news cycle. This is not the first time I’ve posted about dealing with narcissism and it probably won’t be the last, but next time I’ll be sure to clarify its origins first.”
DeBose stirred speculation when she seemingly took aim at her Zegler by re-sharing a viral quote made by Jonah Platt, the son of “Snow White” producer Marc Platt. In a since-deleted post last week, Jonah Platt assigned blame for the Disney remake’s poor box office performance to Zegler, who he claimed had been “dragging her personal politics” into promoting the movie.
In a since-deleted Instagram post Tuesday, DeBose quoted the final line of Jonah Platt’s original post, writing “Narcissism is not something to be coddled or encouraged,” imposed over a bouquet of flowers. The post was taken down shortly after, with DeBose sharing a new statement.
Reps for DeBose and Zegler did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
Jonah Platt, known for his “Being Jewish” podcast and roles in Netflix’s “Uncoupled” and Aaron Sorkin’s “Being the Ricardos,” posted his thoughts about the “Snow White” star on Instagram, responding to a comment that shared reporting that his father went to New York City to “reprimand” Zegler during the film’s promotional cycle. Variety reported that the meeting was a failed attempt to get her to take down a social media post in which she wrote, “and always remember, free palestine.”
“Yeah, my dad, the producer of enormous piece of Disney IP with hundreds of millions of dollars on the line, had to leave his family to to fly across the country to reprimand his 20 year old employee for dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting the movie for which she signed a multi-million dollar contract to get paid and do publicity for,” Jonah Platt wrote in the since-deleted comment. “This is called adult responsibility and accountability. And her actions clearly hurt the film’s box office.”
“Free speech does not mean you’re allowed to say whatever you want in your private employment without repercussions,” Platt continued. “Tens of thousands of people worked on that film and she hijacked the conversation for her own immature desires at the risk of all the colleagues and crew and blue collar workers who depend on that movie to be successful. Narcissism is not something to be coddled or encouraged.”
Other Hollywood stars have outwardly supported Zegler and her young career. “The Last of Us” star Pedro Pascal Sunday shared a photo of the actress on his Instagram stories with the caption “#icon.”
Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” was released in 2021 to critical success despite its poor box office draw. The film launched Zegler’s acting career, casting her in the starring role of María. It also earned DeBose a best supporting actress Oscar for her role as Anita.
