Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Little Girl Clings To 'Little Mermaid' Star Halle Bailey For Dear Life After Spotting Her At Disney World

Screenshots of Halle Bailey and Mila Rose
@hallebailey/Instagram

Little Mila Rose hugged the actor as tightly as she could in a viral video as someone explained that Ariel is 'her favorite.'

How precious is this?!

Since the release of the trailer for Disney's The Little Mermaid, we've been brought to tears by countless videos of young Black girls reacting to seeing Halle Bailey as the film's star Ariel, emotional and excited to learn the Disney Princess looks like them.




@workingmama

My daughter’s reaction 😭 to the little mermaid trailer. #littlemermaidtrailer #representationmatters

But imagine seeing your hero in real life instead of on the big screen.

An emotional interaction between Bailey and a fan, sweet little Mila Rose, was caught on camera at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The video shows the young girl clinging to her favorite princess, with her arms and legs wrapped around the star.

The Grammy-nominated singer and actor rubbed Mila's back and said:

"You're so pretty."
"You're so beautiful and sweet."

As Mila continued to hug Bailey, a person in the background mentioned:

"Ariel is her favorite."

The person continued:

"She won't let go."

Finally, Mila agreed to lift her head from Bailey's shoulder to take a picture.

Bailey posted the moment to her Instagram story. You can watch it below.

Many viewers of the viral video were brought to tears by the beautiful moment.









Several also commented on the impact the casting has on this generation.

Representation.

Matters.






While many are greatly anticipating the May release of the film, it hasn't come without criticism from others—i.e. racists.

Yes, there are some who are appalled Bailey doesn't look like the animated make-believe mythical fantasy nonexistent fictional imaginary Ariel that meets their criteria of a mermaid princess.

Excuse me, your racism is showing. Embarrassing.

But Bailey is unphased and knows the power of her portrayal.

Last fall, she stated during a Q&A posted to her YouTube channel:

"Today, with all of the kind of commentary and people's opinions goin on, it just reminds me to be number one grounded and grateful that I have this opportunity and the fact that it's sparking such a discussion like this for all of us."
"I know what it would have meant to me as a little girl to have been able to see a black Ariel when I was younger."
"If I would have seen that, it would have changed my whole outlook on life."

The Little Mermaid is set to be released May 26. We cannot wait.

More from Trending

Screenshot of Tom Homan; Pope Leo XIV
Fox News; Vatican Media/Vatican Pool - Corbis/Getty Images

Trump's Border Czar Ripped For Hypocrisy After Telling Pope Leo To 'Stay Out Of Politics'

President Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan was called out for hypocrisy after telling Pope Leo XIV to "stay out of politics" after he clashed with Trump over the widely unpopular war in Iran.

Last week, Pope Leo criticized the war and called on the world "to reject war, especially a war which many people have said is an unjust war, which is continuing to escalate and is not resolving anything."

Keep ReadingShow less
Dave Chappelle speaks at the premiere benefitting the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

Dave Chappelle Just Criticized MAGA Politicians For 'Weaponizing' His Anti-Trans Jokes—But He's Not Getting Much Sympathy

Dave Chappelle seems super duper surprised that people took his punchlines exactly as he delivered them. Back in 2021, he carelessly ranted about trans people during his Netflix special The Closer, setting off immediate backlash.

The comedian’s so-called “joke” that kicked off the controversy:

Keep ReadingShow less
Ariana Grande and Robert De Niro in 'Focker-in-Law'
Universal Pictures/Paramount Pictures

Fans Are Shook After Hearing Ariana Grande's 'Normal' Speaking Voice In New 'Focker-In-Law' Trailer

We've met the parents-in-law, we've met the Fockers, we've invited a few little Fockers into the world, and now, the Circle of Trust is ready to get a little bit bigger with a Focker-in-Law.

Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro are back as Greg Focker and Jack Byrnes in the Focker universe as the somewhat maladjusted, sensitive guys with an overbearing, former interrogator father-in-law who have learned over the years how to coexist, if not even trust each other a little bit.

Keep ReadingShow less
Plane taking off
Nick Dolding/Getty Images

Pilots Scolded By DC Air Traffic Control After They're Caught Meowing At Each Other In Bizarre Viral Clip

Things haven't exactly been going great at America's airports since dear dictator took over.

There were those horrifying plane crashes in early 2025, the TSA debacles of recent weeks, and another crash on March 22 at New York's LaGuardia airport.

Keep ReadingShow less
RFK Jr. Turns Heads After Gross Revelation About What He Once Did To A Dead Raccoon On Family Road Trip
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Harris Hui/Getty Images

RFK Jr. Turns Heads After Gross Revelation About What He Once Did To A Dead Raccoon On Family Road Trip

A new biography of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. brought another incident with a dead animal to public light just as he was testifying on Capitol Hill this week.

RFK Jr. had previously disclosed his attraction to playing with dead creatures via anecdotes about a dead bear cub, a freezer full of roadkill, and a deceased whale that he or family members shared.

Keep ReadingShow less