The Voice coach Ariana Grande is protecting contestant Ryleigh Plank from social media harassment by deleting Twitter off of her phone. Ariana has been a huge activist for mental health throughout her career. Ariana opened up in 2018 about the PTSD she experienced after the bombing of her 2017 concert in Manchester. The singer also admitted that she's always suffered from anxiety, but it was at an all-time high in 2019. In June, Ariana donated $1 million worth of therapy in honor of mental health awareness month. The star mentioned in an Instagram post that she wants to end the stigma around mental health and normalize asking for help.
Ariana cares a lot about her artists on The Voice, often crying during eliminations and struggling to choose between contestants. She also made vocal health kits for all of the members of her team during the Blind Auditions. The kit included supplements, teas and honey packages to sooth their voice. Ariana also mentioned during the show that she speaks to her therapist about how difficult it is to send contestants home.
It seems Ariana is continuing her advocacy as Ryleigh admitted the singer deleted Twitter from her phone. The 20-year-old performer posted on Twitter that she was being harassed by Ariana's fans and asked people to please only use her business email for business inquiries, not for trying to get in contact with Ariana. When a fan suggested that she get off Twitter, she responded, "Iiii caved after Ariana deleted it from my phone I just wanted 2 talk to y'all." She later tweeted that fans of the pop star were threatening to harm themselves if she didn't pass their message along to Ariana; this upset Ryleigh primarily since she's dealt with self-harm in the past.
Ryleigh was eliminated from The Voice during the episode that aired on November 16 along with fellow contestant Shadale Johnson, who was on John Legend's team. Ryleigh continues to stay in contact with fans, and many of them have come to her defense regarding Ariana's fans. Ryleigh's followers stressed the importance of boundaries and reminded others that it is not okay to bombard someone with e-mails, especially threatening ones. She also continues to support her fellow contestants that are still in the competition.
It's nice to see that despite Ryleigh's elimination, Ariana still stays in contact with the former contestant and continues to have her back. Being in the spotlight is not easy, and it's crucial that people online understand other people's boundaries and learn not to cross them. It's good to see Ryleigh stand up for herself and to see her fans defend her as well. Hopefully, Ariana's fans respond well to Ryleigh's request, and the singer continues to prioritize her boundaries and mental health.
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 pm EST on NBC.
Source: Ryleigh Plank/Twitter