Walker Scobell, star of the Percy Jackson TV series, will skip his high school prom due to death threats aimed at “every teenage girl who could remotely be associated with me.”
The 17-year-old actor, who plays the lead role in the Disney+ Percy Jackson and the Olympians TV show, made the announcement via his Instagram, in a message that called for the end of harassment towards girls at his school.
“Just to let everyone know, I will not be attending prom,” Scobell wrote. “Please stop sending death threats to EVERY teenage girl who could remotely be associated with me based on their proximity to where I live. It’s not fair to them or to their families. Maybe also just stop sending death threats in general. That’s just not cool. Kinda weird I have to say this.”
Screenshots of numerous purported messages shared on social media show posts from fans who said they planned to turn up at Walker’s high school prom with weapons, with threats that “the same thing that happen with Charlie Kirk” would happen to his date.
Discussing Scobell’s decision not to attend via a lengthy thread on reddit, many Percy Jackson fans said they were shocked by the “parasocial toxicity” of some followers who followed the personal lives of the show’s young cast — particularly Scobell and 16-year-old Leah Jeffries, who plays Jackson’s on-screen love interest Annabeth Chase.
“The idea that people think Percy and Annabeth have to end up together and therefore Walker and Leah do as well is sickening,” wrote firestorm0108. “These were actual children when they started trying to ship them together, real people, and yet the fans that are that far gone seem unable to understand that.”
“It was actually mostly the Walker fangirls that are obsessed with him and delusional in thinking they have a chance with him,” countered Annie567810. “They harass literally every girl he interacts with Leah as well. Some of them are too old to be acting like that over a minor. Then you have Waleah fans upset he’s not with Leah either and attacking him even though Leah made it known it makes her uncomfortable yet they still do it. Then they will be sad if Walker and Leah’s personal and professional relationship suffer cause of it.”
“I feel so bad for them,” wrote Milo-Law. “How can people be like this, focus on your own lives and relationships and stop putting effort into toxic parasocial shit.”
“The kids who’ve grown up with social media and have been introduced into fandom culture at way too young of an age NEED their parents to intervene,” concluded brendinthegenie. “The fact that the internet is so accessible that ‘fans’ can go and harass complete strangers without any adult finding out is so concerning. Walker shouldn’t have to give up such a huge memory for this.”
Disney wrapped up airing the second season of the Percy Jackson show at the end of January, with a third season now in development. The series adapts the popular young adult fantasy book series that features the modern day versions of Greek gods, with the upcoming next season set to dramatize the third book, The Titan’s Curse.
Image credit: Robby Klein/Getty Images for SCAD.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
