Stars: They're just like us!
They celebrate Halloween, take their kids to theme parks and get really weirded out when strangers don't respect their personal space.
Who knew‽‽
At least, that's the lesson one person on Twitter learned this week—the hard way.
Saturday night, Twitter user Erica Contreras attended Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights, the theme park's annual Halloween celebration. And who should she run into there, but former NFL star and SAG Award-nominated Brooklyn 99 actor Terry Crews and family.
Crews posted a handful of photos from the visit to his Instagram, saying he and his family had "a blast."
That is, apparently, until he and Contreras crossed paths at the park.
Contreras approached Crews to take a photo with her, and, well... let's just say it didn't quite go according to plan.
Yikes! Kinda harsh, Terry. Right?
But as with most things, it seemed there were two sides to this story. From Crews' perspective, Contreras was a bit demanding when it came to that photo.
Crews wasted no time putting her right back in her place by quote-tweeting his side of the story.
Yikes... better sit this one out Erica.
There's a polite and respectful way to ask a celebrity for a photo, but this ain't it. And it seems safe to say that if you've managed to rub even Terry Crews the wrong way, you've definitely started off on the wrong foot.
Crews has developed something of a reputation for being one of the most affable guys in Hollywood when it comes to interacting with fans on social media. And he seems to be on a one-man mission to be a force for positivity on the internet, being very open about the difficulties in his life and how they pushed him to turn it all around—including an incident in which he was the victim of sexual assault in 2016, which inspired Crews to speak up about the issues of consent and toxic masculinity, including testifying before Congress on the issue last summer.
Crews is such an affable, positive guy in fact, that the LA Times even staged a niceness competition between him and Brooklyn 99 costar Joe LoTruglio earlier this summer.
Who is Nicer from Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Terry Crews or Joe Lo Truglio/youtu.be
So if Terry Crews is clapping back... you probably messed up.
But that didn't stop Contreras from trying to clapback at Crews' clapback with a lengthy denial of Crews' account, calling it a "lie" and accusing people on social media of defending him just because he's a celebrity.
The internet was not convinced.
Folks were pretty firmly Team Terry.
And over on the trashy subReddit, a conversation titled "Celebrities are people too" quickly gained traction, decrying Contreras' seemingly entitled attitude.
there's a polite way to ask for a pic and then there's just being a wild animal --Pompae
Also, how is it RUDE for a celebrity to decline a picture? Even if you asked nicely, they have every right to say no. That's the whole point of asking. --HorstOdensack
Especially to goddamn Terry Crews. The man is a saint! If he refused to take a picture with someone it's very safe to assume they were a huge asshole. --TGrady902
So the moral of the story is: Stars really are like us.
So, you know, treat them how you'd want to be treated. Or at the very least, if you're gonna act like a star-crazy fan monster, Terry Crews is not the one.
Crews' book Manhood: How to Be a Better Man-or Just Live with One is available here.
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Have you listened to the first season of George Takei's podcast, 'Oh Myyy Pod!'?
In season one we explored the racially charged videos that have taken the internet by storm.
We're hard at work on season two so be sure to subscribe here so you don't miss it when it goes live.
Here's one of our favorite episodes from season one. Enjoy!
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