Grey’s Anatomy star Sarah Drew asks fans to lay off Kelly McCreary comments

As someone who has covered Grey’s Anatomy for years now, we know that some of the fans are among the most passionate people out there. Yet, at the same time we know that at times fandom can turn into something a little bit different and it doesn’t really matter what actor/character you support.

At times, negative comments and attacks come as a form of internet hyperbole — saying something dramatic and over-the-top to get attention, even if you don’t actually mean it. Other times, maybe there is legitimate rage. Either way, when you say said comments it’s often hard to know how someone else is going to interpret them, and many of them can be hurtful. We’ve felt for many actors over the years who have been the target of that and Kelly McCreery (who plays Maggie on the series) has been one of the latest victims. The relationship between Maggie and Jackson (Jesse Williams) has been fairly polarizing from the start of the season, and the impending departure of Sarah Drew (April) has, more or less, stoked that fire.

Now, April has come out in support of McCreary in a post on Twitter, asking that fans be respectful of her when commenting to her:

“I know these characters mean so much to you — believe me, they mean a lot to me, too — but I do not feel defended when you attack my friends. My beautiful, loving, loyal sister, Kelly, is a brilliant, fiercely talented team player who ALWAYS shows up and dedicates herself to the stories she is asked to tell. Please stop attacking her for doing her job. When you hurt her, you hurt me. When you show kindness to her, you show kindness to me. Please be Kind.”

One of the biggest things to remember here, regardless of whether or not you like the Japril or the Jaggie storyline, is this — the actors do not write the stories and they are not the characters. They’re just people approaching work with full hearts and enthusiasm, trying to do the best with their material. They are the reasons that we often get attached to the characters but there is no reason to go on the offensive against them for work that may be deemed polarizing. As we’ve noted this is far from the only situation like this with Grey’s Anatomy or any show, for that matter. We just think that respect and having opinions don’t have to be mutually exclusive. We can have both as TV fans.

What do you think about some of Drew’s comments, and the situation in the first place? Share below.

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