The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke is taking a note from Billy the Butcher's book.
He took to Twitter Sept. 7 to address the misogynistic comments directed at actress Erin Moriarty, who plays Annie January, a.k.a. Starlight, in the Prime Video series. "Hi trolls!" he captioned an article about Erin's comments. "One, this is literally the opposite of the show's f--king message. Two, you're causing pain to real people with real feelings. Be kind."
As a final parting note, Eric added, "If you can't be kind, then eat a bag of d--ks, f--k off to the sun & don't watch #TheBoys, we don't want you. #TheBoysTV."
Erin, meanwhile, is staying occupied at work. The actress and her co-star Jack Quaid gave the camera the middle finger in a selfie taken on the set of The Boys season four. "Back to my regularly scheduled programming of work bliss with my favorite hooooman(s)," she captioned the Sept. 7 Instagram pic. "(If there were no [bird emoji]'s involved, would it be @theboystv?)"
Erin recently shared that she's felt demoralized by fan's comments about her appearance, as well as the actions of her character. "I do feel silenced," she wrote on Instagram Sept. 7. "I do feel dehumanized. I do feel paralyzed. I've put blood, sweat, and tears into this role (over & over & over again), I've grown UP in this character's shoes (*emphasis on grown up - we change & evolve mentally AND physically)."
She thanked Instagram user @butcherscanary, who called out the misogynistic remarks in a blog post, noting that it's ironic she's been treated this way when the show is a criticism of such behavior. "I've opened up a vein for this role," Erin said, "and misogynistic trolling is exactly what this role (Annie) would speak out against."
Erin's comments were met with support by numerous The Boys stars, including Jack, who applauded her for her bravery. "Love you Erin," he wrote. "We're all here for you. You're such an incredible, talented force of nature and I consider myself incredibly lucky to know you. Keep shining bright. Leave the trolls to us. We got your back."
The first three seasons of The Boys are streaming now on Prime Video.