Jada Pinkett Smith Writes Heartfelt Post Defending Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Quvenzhané Wallis

Thesp stands up for the "young artists" she sees being abused by the media and cyberbullies

By Josh Grossberg Mar 12, 2013 4:55 PMTags
Jada Pinkett Smith, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Quvenzhane WallisDimitrios Kambouris/WireImage; Kevin Winter/Getty Images; JUSTIN CAMPBELL/startraksphoto.com; Kika Press; PacificCoastNews.com

Jada Pinkett Smith has a message for all the Bieber haters, Rihanna bashers and media bullies: Back off!

After seeing the abuse Justin Bieber apparently endured at the hands of paparazzi while performing in London last week (and for whom her son Jaden served as the opening act), the 41-year-old actress took to her Facebook page to defend the singer along with other young celebs who've found themselves under a media microscope in recent years.

"Are we bullying our young artists?" asked Smith. "How can we ask for our young stars to have a high level of responsibility if we are not demonstrating that same level of responsibility towards them?...It is as if we have forgotten what it means to be young or even how to behave like good ol' grown folk."

In reference to the teen heartthrob, Jada added: "Is it okay to continually attack and criticize a famous 19-year-old who is simply trying to build a life, exercise his talents while figuring out what manhood and fame is all about as he carries the weight of supporting his family as well as providing the paychecks to others who depend on him to work so they can feed their families as well?"

But she didn't stop there. Smith also called out cyberbullies like The Onion for the poor treatment it showed to 9-year-old Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis when it called her the C-word (the satirical news outlet later apologized); those who slam RiRi for "exploring the intricacies of love and power on the world stage," or "shame" pop superstar Taylor Swift for the way she "navigates through the murky waters of love, heartbreak, and fame."

"Are these young people not allowed to be young, make mistakes, grow, and eventually transform a million times before our eyes?" wondered the actress. "Are we asking them to defy the laws of nature because of who they are? Why can't we congratulate them for the capacity to work through their challenges on a world stage and still deliver products that keep them on top…Imagine yourself, at their age, with the spotlight, challenges, and responsibilities."

Smith and Fall Out Boy's frontman Patrick Stump might want to commiserate, as the latter said pretty much the same thing in a blog post taking issue with the ever-burgeoning culture of online hate.

To read Smith's entire post, click here.