Star Wars Defends Obi Wan Star Moses Ingram Amid 'Racist' Backlash From Fans

Star Wars is defending Obi-Wan Kenobi star Moses Ingram, who is being harassed online by racist fans.

Obi-Wan Kenobi premiered on May 27, with Ingram playing Inquisitor Riva. In an Instagram post, Ingram said she has received "hundreds" of racist messages from fans over the past few days, including many that use the N-word and accuse her of being a diversity hire.

"There's nothing anybody can do about this," Ingram said in a video posted to her Instagram story. "There’s nothing anybody can do to stop this hate. I question my purposes in even being here in front of you saying that this is happening. I don't really know."

In her video, Ingram added, "I think the thing that bothers me is ... this feeling I have in myself, which no one has told me, but this feeling of, I've just got to shut up and take it. And I'm not built like that, so I really just wanted to come on ... and say thank you to the people who show up for me in the comments." She continued, "And to the rest of y'all, y'all weird."

The official Star Wars Twitter account defended Ingram early Tuesday. "We are proud to welcome Moses Ingram to the Star Wars family and excited for Reva’s story to unfold. If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist," it said in a statement. "There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don't choose to be a racist."

There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist.

— Star Wars (@starwars) May 31, 2022

Obi-Wan Kenobi is currently streaming on Disney+.

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Deena ElGenaidi's writing has been featured in Nylon, MTV News, Insider, The AV Club, and more. You can follow her on Twitter @deenaelg.