Ansel Elgort Is Getting Canceled by Twitter: Here's Everything We Know

Ansel Elgort has caught the ire of some Twitter users, who are trying to "cancel" the 26-year-old actor over unverified claims that he used the N-word in the past. An anonymous Instagram post claims that an "Ansel" bullied them in school with use of the racial slur, and that the school never took action to discipline him.

All that said, it's not clear if these allegations actually involve Elgort. The post doesn't explicitly identify the actor, and there's no other proof of any wrongdoing. But that hasn't stopped Twitter from doing what it does best, starting a trending wave of controversy about the allegations. The backlash was swift and fierce, with many saying the actor should be canceled, despite the lack of concrete evidence.

The Instagram account @BlackatLaguardia has been consistently used to expose apparent wrongdoings at New York City's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, the school that Elgort attended. Each post is seemingly submitted by an anonymous student.

The post that puts Elgort into question does not mention a last name, only the first name of "Ansel."

"Once I was in class and we were learning about the Niger River. Ansel (Lag's favorite) repeatedly mocked me and said '[expletive] River' multiple times. Nothing was ever done about it," the post reads.

Comments on the post, which had around 500 likes at the time of publishing, tagged the actor and asked if the post was referring to him. Many were quick to assume Elgort was the "Ansel" named, and some even made the claim that no other people named Ansel have ever attended the school.

@BlackatLaguardia did not confirm that "Ansel" is in fact a reference to Elgort, but that didn't stop people on the Internet from trying to cancel him, and stir up support for their campaign. Many users on Twitter have bashed the actor for the alleged N-word use.

Others weren't so fast to pile on Elgort. Some questioned if it was right to blame the actor for anonymous reports when his last name wasn't even confirmed. And other people said that even if Elgort used the N-word as a teen, he may have grown since.

The back-and-forth over these allegations, and whether or not Elgort should be "canceled," work as a microcosm of what so often happens on the Internet: A rumor gets started, it catches on, and people rush to judgement without having all of the facts.

Newsweek reached out to Elgort's press team but received automated responses that the office is closed in observance of Juneteenth. We'll update with any comment if we hear back.

Elgort has been vocal on the Black Lives Matter moment. He posted a black screen on Instagram during Blackout Tuesday and included a lengthy explanation.

"I'll spend today giving my energy and attention to this," Elgort wrote. "As I've spend [sic] a large amount of my past few discussing with friends and family and reading what's mostly on social media. First step is educating myself. Looking for steps to start making change."

He continued, "There really shouldn't be any disagreement on this. If you don't want to be a part of making a just world for everyone then you're not a good person."

Updated 6/19/2020, 12:31 p.m. ET: This post and headline have been updated twice to further clarify that there is no evidence that these claims are in fact about Ansel Elgort.

Uncommon Knowledge

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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