Amazon Urges: End Harassment of ‘Summer I Turned Pretty’ Cast, Demands Normalcy

Amazon recently made a public appeal to viewers of “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” urging them to maintain positive discourse online following instances of cyberbullying directed at the show’s cast.

“Remember, the series is fictional, but the actors are real people,” stated the official social media profiles of the show on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and X. This message was part of a post that included a video graphic stating, “The summer we started behaving normally online.”

On X, the show’s profile also re-shared a previous “Public Service Announcement for the Summer community” that was posted before the third season premiered in July. It reminded fans of the “zero tolerance policy for bullying and hate speech.”

Now in its third and ultimate season, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is airing its eighth episode out of a total of 11 and has become a major success on Amazon’s Prime Video platform, drawing a large and enthusiastic audience.

Adapted from Jenny Han’s novels, the series chronicles the experiences of Belly Conklin (played by Lola Tung) who finds herself in a romantic dilemma between two brothers, Conrad (portrayed by Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (played by Gavin Casalegno), each vying for her affection.

The online fanbase is polarized into factions supporting either Conrad or Jeremiah. While many comments playfully critique the behaviors of the characters and Belly’s indecisiveness, the tone has sometimes turned unnecessarily harsh as the series nears its climactic conclusion.

Lola Tung expressed her concerns to Teen Vogue in July, “Fans become intensely invested in the characters and are eager to see certain outcomes, but it’s important to keep things in perspective. Threatening violence if things don’t go a certain way is not only unacceptable, it’s also taking things too far.”

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Gavin Casalegno, who has been labeled as “one of the internet’s most disliked boyfriends,” revealed that he has stopped checking Instagram due to negativity. “Amazon has intervened with anti-bullying measures,” he noted, “though it seems to have limited effect.”

Variety revealed that Casalegno has faced severe backlash, including death threats over his portrayal of Jeremiah and criticism over his personal social media interactions, such as liking conservative posts.

Insiders connected with the show told Variety that Amazon issued the anti-bullying message in response to the increase in toxic online behavior, which often involves anonymous and overly critical comments.

The author of the series, Jenny Han, also addressed the issue recently via an Instagram story. “While I realize the fans are passionate and mean no harm, making light of violence against women, even in jest, is unacceptable,” she remarked.

The final episode of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” will air on September 17, concluding the series.