Sia Appears to Delete Twitter Amid Controversy Over Movie Music

Sia, who faced criticism for casting Maddie Ziegler as a teenager on the autism spectrum in her movie Music, has deleted her Twitter following the movie's 2021 Golden Globes nomination.

By Kaitlin Reilly Feb 04, 2021 8:28 PMTags
Watch: Sia Fires Back at Critics Over Autism Representation in "Music"

Sia has seemingly deleted her Twitter amid criticism over her new movie, Music.

On Feb. 3, the "Chandelier" artist's film was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, for Best Motion Picture in the Musical or Comedy category and Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for its star Kate Hudson. However, along with the recognition, Music faced renewed backlash for its casting of Maddie Ziegler as a teenager on the autism spectrum. The film, which also stars Leslie Odom Jr., came under fire especially after Sia claimed, on Twitter, that she could not find an actress with autism who could play Maddie's character Music.

The movie also received a second wave of backlash after it came to light that a scene in the film depicts Music being restrained during an episode, something that people in the autism community pointed out can be dangerous for both the person being restrained and the one doing the restraining. 

While Sia has pushed back against criticism over casting Maddie—who she has worked with a number of times in her music videos—on Feb. 4, she took to social media to claim she was "listening" now to those who took issue with that particularly controversial scene. 

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On Twitter, the "Elastic Heart" singer wrote over two tweets, "I promise, have been listening. The motion picture MUSIC will, moving forward, have this warning at the head of the movie: MUSIC in no way condones or recommends the use of restraint on autistic people. There are autistic occupational therapists that specialize in sensory processing who can be consulted to explain safe ways to provide proprioceptive, deep-pressure feedback to help w meltdown safety."

Lester Cohen/Getty Images for FIJI Water

However, shortly after tweeting about the added disclaimer, Sia's Twitter was deactivated. 

Despite seemingly deleting her Twitter, Sia's Instagram is still active. On Feb. 3, she shared a poster from Music in honor of the Golden Globe nod, writing in the caption, "This movie is a love letter to everyone who has ever felt they didn't have a voice. What an incredible, exciting and unbelievable experience. Congratulations to all the cast and crew, and thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press. What an honor!"

Music arrives in theaters Feb. 12.