Actress Lindsey Shaw says she's taking a break from social media following criticism she received stemming from her recent TikTok post.
The 32-year-old performer, known for roles on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and Pretty Little Liars, took to her Instagram Story on Sunday, July 11 to apologize in footage that showed her getting emotional and wiping away tears. This followed backlash over a since-deleted TikTok video she had previously posted in which she questioned dance moves popularized by Black creators.
"I just have to say right now that the hate in my inbox is not OK," Lindsey said on her Story. "I did not mean anything in any kind of way. I am learning every day, as I think everybody is. And this kind of hate just needs to evaporate from the planet, no matter who it's directed towards. Crocodile tears? No, dude—this is like my soul out there. If you know anything about what I stand for or what I believe in, you know that it's not this."
The star went on to say she had intended her TikTok post to poke fun at generational differences between millennials and members of Gen Z.
"I am sorry you were offended," Lindsey continued. "I think we all need to vibrate higher for the future, and I know I'm going to keep learning. For my own mental health, I needed to take a step back from social media anyway. But I'm not here to offend or belittle anybody. At all. I thought that the millennial and Gen Z thing was a thing on TikTok. The intention wasn't that serious, y'all. I gotta just go off of here for a little while. But I appreciate you, I love you, and I'll be back. And I hope that I know more, and I hope we all have a little more compassion and understanding."
Lindsey's TikTok video included footage of Black men dancing together in unison, with the actress then saying, "Hey, are we OK? What the f--k is this?" She proceeded to mimic the dance move herself. Judging by the reaction on social media, many individuals found her video to be racist.
Among those commenting on the situation was Lindsey's former Ned's Declassified co-star Devon Werkheiser, who shared his own TikTok video to offer commentary.
Devon said in his post that the situation was "complicated" and stemmed from "Lindsey making a very unnecessary video hating on the most popular trend on TikTok that happens to be created by Black creators, and getting rather reactionary and defensive in her comment section before deleting the video." He went on to say the actress has "a good heart" and that he condemned "death threats" she has received.