Bel-Air has quickly become one of the most talked-about shows on social media in a shocking twist of events. After fans had bashed the show for an unnecessary reboot of a 90s classic, the Bel-Air cast and creators were left with the last laugh as the show dominated through sheer word of mouth, and fans were pleasantly surprised at the show’s potential.
While the show isn’t perfect, the series has managed to shock naysayers and prove it has something fresh to bring to the table, especially with the updated versions of the Bel-Air cast. Although, speaking of the new castmates, not every character has been received positively, with some actors receiving threats and unfavorable comments on Twitter. One of the primary examples is Olly Sholotan, the actor who plays Bel-Air’s reimagined version of Carlton Banks.
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In the dramatic retelling of Will Smith’s classic sitcom, Olly’s Carlton doesn’t appear to be the redeemable, huggable, and Cringely wholesome version of Carlton we all have grown up with. Instead, Olly portrays a version of the character that deals with self-hate and is battling addiction, all while giving Will a way tougher time than his 90s counterpart ever did. And while these qualities of his character are super interesting, that isn’t particularly what irks fans about the character. Instead, fans have bombarded the actor with an unhealthy amount of tweets that criticize the actor for being ugly and “hard to look at.” The unkind words began happening around the new show’s premiere and haven’t stopped since.
Finally responding to the string words presented by Bel-Air viewers, Olly tweeted that “enough is enough” and addressed the harsh words being flung his way. Continuing and elaborating on the issue at hand Olly tweeted, “Enough is ENOUGH. I’m TIRED. If you’re gonna hate on Carlton, at least use a pic with more than 7 pixels. This one is HD, and you can see the detail in my sweater and a lil powder on my nose #BelAir”
Taking the higher ground and joking his way around the harsh words, Sholotan was able to disarm the hostility around his looks in real-life and instead create a joke out of it. Although the hectic energy towards Olly was unwarranted, it was great to see him flip the situation in his favor.