The iCarly reboot cast has stepped up to defend Laci Mosley in the midst of racist attacks against her on social media. iCarly debuted on Nickelodeon in 2007 and ran for five years, even spurning a spin-off series, Sam & Cat. It was one of Nickelodeon's most popular series and was a childhood favorite for many born in the late '90s and early 2000s. Thus, the announcement that Paramount+ was reviving iCarly, almost a decade after its ending, was met with much enthusiasm.
The iCarly reboot is set to premiere in June of 2021 with the episodes appearing exclusively on Paramount+. Miranda Cosgrove, Jerry Trainor, and Nathan Kress will all reprise their roles in the series. While a big chunk of the cast is returning, the show will also introduce some new faces, including Mosley as Carly's roommate and friend, Harper. Noticeably absent from the cast, however, is Jennette McCurdy who chose not to reprise her role as Sam. McCurdy explained in her podcast, Empty Inside, that she has quit acting and felt embarrassed about her previous role in the series.
As reported by ET Canada, the cast and crew of the iCarly reboot came to the defense of Mosley, who faced a series of racist social media attacks. Sam's absence from the reboot has led some to believe that Harper is meant to be Sam's replacement and some have chosen to voice their opinions on that in a particularly vile way. Paramount+ released a statement calling the racist attacks unacceptable and urging individuals to think about their words and how their words can impact others. Cosgrove and Franchesca Ramsey (iCarly writer) were among the many who reposted the statement on social media in support of Mosley. Mosley herself shared the statement and expressed gratitude that she was being taken care of at her job. Check out Paramount+'s statement below:
iCarly is proud to be racially diverse, not only in our crew but our cast. We have recently seen reports of racism towards a member of our iCarly cast, and it is not acceptable! Please think about your words and take time to understand how what you say can impact other people. Thank you.
Mosley shared a screenshot on her Instagram account of the types of messages she was getting, many of which contain racial slurs in reference to her iCarly character, Harper. She indicated that she blocked and deleted as many messages/comments as she could, but that she couldn't be bothered anymore. Mosley also took to Twitter to describe how her little sister, who is 13 years younger than her, had to witness the racism against her on social media, as well. However, she also expressed that she refuses to be put down, telling her her racist attackers to seek help and to go ahead and be mad forever because she's been through too much to deal with them, too.
The racist attacks against Mosley are sickening to read. However, it is touching to see the iCarly cast and crew coming to her defense and standing against racism. As Paramount+ stated, individuals truly need to think about their words before they choose to say or post something. Hiding behind a computer screen on social media doesn't make one immune to the consequences of one's words and neither does it make such words any less painful to the victim. The strength that Mosley demonstrated by holding her head high and showing such grace in the face of such evilness, as well as the support from the iCarly cast, is a strong warning to the attackers to think twice about their actions, because this crew isn't about to let them get away with their racism.
Source: ET Canada