Ariana DeBose deactivates Twitter after backlash over BAFTA Awards rap

• Ariana DeBose decided to remove her Twitter account.
• She has received criticism for her 2023 BAFTA Awards performance.
• She was abused because of the habit, therefore she has now stopped using Twitter.

After receiving criticism for her 2023 BAFTA Awards performance, Ariana DeBose decided to remove her Twitter account.

The “West Side Story” actor opened the programme on Sunday, February 23, with a mashup of “Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves” and “We Are Family,” which included a custom rap that highlighted the female candidates.

At one point, she rapped: “Angela Bassett did the thing, Viola Davis my ‘Woman King,’ Blanchett Cate you’re a genius, Jamie Lee you are all of us.”

She was abused because of the habit, therefore she has now stopped using Twitter.

An advocate for her, a BAFTA producer, called the accusations “very harsh” and defended her.

In a statement to Variety, Nick Bullen said: “The songs she was singing are very familiar songs, the room was clapping, and people were sort of dancing to the music.

“That rap section in the middle, mentioning the women in the room, was because it’s been a great year for women in film, and we wanted to celebrate that.”

He insisted a lot of the backlash is because “a lot of people don’t like change”, while he added that DeBose “worked with a great musical director and choreographer” on the performance.

Bullen added: “There’s a view that the BAFTAs have to be this slightly stiff, traditional British, middle-England messaging.”

He pointed to the way “American awards shows have much more razzmatazz, much more showbiz and perhaps a broader range of people being involved”.

He explained: “We felt we’re not about revolution, we’re about evolution. Let’s just evolve, let’s just move forward with some gentle changes that start to lay out the stall of what this show should be and where we should be with it.”

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