The Acolyte Star Amandla Stenberg Says Cancellation Was ‘Not a Huge Shock’ Due to ‘Rampage of Hyper-Conservative Bigotry’ From Fans

Disney+’s decision to cancel Star Wars spinoff The Acolyte after just a single season may have come as a surprise to some… but not to its star.

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Amandla Stenberg, who starred as twin sisters Osha and Mae, broke her silence via an Instagram Story on Wednesday, revealing that the cancellation was “not a huge shock for me” because of the severe backlash she received from fans online: “There has been a rampage of vitriol that we have faced since the show was even announced… a rampage of, I would say, hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred and hateful language towards us.”

Stenberg added that “it has been an incredible honor and dream for me to be in this universe” and wanted to let the fans who did support the show know “that you were deeply loved and appreciated, and it made this job all the worthwhile for me.”

The Acolyte premiered in June on Disney+, with the eight-episode season wrapping up in July. Critics lauded the show for taking a fresh approach to the Star Wars universe, but a vocal contingent of fans rejected the series, with some labeling it as “woke” for casting a Black LGBTQ actor as the lead. On Rotten Tomatoes, the critics’ score for The Acolyte stands at 78%, but the users’ score is just 18%.

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When Disney+ announced the cancellation earlier this month, Stenberg’s co-star Lee Jung-jae, who played Jedi Master Sol, expressed his hope “that maybe there could be changes in the future… I really hope we could get to see further stories [in a] second season.”

Do you wish The Acolyte had returned for Season 2? Hit the comments to share your thoughts.

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