The latest appalling internet bullying casualty is Tori Spelling’s son, Liam, who was body-shamed online. Seriously, internet, what’s wrong with you? Pick on grown celebs — at least that’s a fair fight. But children are off-limits. Can we at least agree on that, fellow humans?
The shaming started in January when Spelling posted a sweet family photo on Instagram. She and Chopped Canada’s judge Dean McDermott have five kids together: Liam, Stella, Hattie, Finn and Beau. Commenters let loose with nasty observations, saying the Spelling-McDermott kids looked “fat” and “terrible.”
Liam, 12, was particularly affected by the comments. Recently his father revealed on his podcast, Daddy Issues, that Liam came to him with a heartwrenching question: “Dad, am I obese?” Gahh. If that doesn’t tear your heart wide open and make you want to hold your kids tight, yeah, we’re judging you. Because no 12-year-old should have his self-esteem shredded by the anonymous cowards of the internet, no matter how you feel about his famous, and, yes, occasionally notorious, parents.
On his podcast McDermott revealed that he answered his son’s heartbreaking question, “Look, buddy — there’s some sick people in the world… and they need to say bad things about people.” McDermott said that he continued to Liam, “Think about it, son. You have a busy life. You have school, you got sports. Do you think you have time to go on Instagram, scroll through the people that you’re following, and make a negative comment about somebody?… No, you don’t. You don’t, and if you did, you’d fill your time with something else. So think about how sick these people are that they have to do that.”
Well handled, Papa McDermott. At the time of the comments, though, McDermott was furious, posting, “I am absolutely horrified and disgusted by the comments being left about my children. Body shaming an bullying my children??!! What is wrong with you people??!!”
Spelling — who’s reportedly struggled with her own mental health over the past few years — won’t be bullied into changing her Instagram feed. She’s still posting loving family photos of her whole squad — and honestly, they’re completely adorable. Check out the snowsuits in the second pic.
Spelling spoke to Us Weekly about the horrific comments targeting her family. “Celebrities have feelings and then when you cross a line and you go after children… that is just wrong, and shame on you. The thing that I hate too are these internet cowboys who have these made-up titles that they hide behind and… have private accounts. You want something, you have something to say, say it to my face, and tell me who you are.”
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