The Acolyte Star Gets Candid About Show Cancellation

Amandla Stenberg, who played the dual roles of Mae and Osha in the recently canceled Star Wars series The Acolyte, has finally broken her silence on the show’s fate and the significant backlash it faced. In a series of Instagram Story videos, Stenberg addressed the “hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol” directed towards the series and its cast, acknowledging that the cancellation was not a complete shock given the intense online harassment.

Stenberg recalled the targeted attacks she experienced from critics even before the series was released. She knew it was coming, but still had a shock that it’d come right when the concept was announced. Still, thanks to that outcry, she knew The Acolyte would be a target until it was done.

While expressing her sadness over The Acolyte‘s cancellation and inability to provide more content for invested fans, Stenberg also acknowledged the series’ dedicated fanbased. She was thankful for the support and fan art she saw, grateful to those who stood by the show and its cast.

I thought I would get on here, and just speak candidly. I hate doing this. I hate doing this, but I’m gonna do it. I honestly, I don’t use social media very much anymore, and I’m so happy about that, but there are many folks out there that I want to acknowledge and I want to show appreciation and love and support for so that’s why I’m hopping on here to talk about this, which is that our show, our Star Wars show, has been canceled. And I’m gonna say, I’m really transparent, and say that it’s not a huge shock for me.

Amandla Stenberg

Unfortunately, the ratings couldn’t meet the show’s high cost, but she did have a good time outside of the comments and hate the show received. Stenberg thanked the Lucasfilm team, particularly Rayne Roberts and Leslye Headland, for their support and the positive experience working on The Acolyte. She also acknowledged the challenges the cast and crew faced due to the online harassment.

We likely won’t see The Acolyte come back after its cancellation, but we may see the characters return in other Star Wars media. Despite what many have said, the high cost mixed with low ratings were the issue. Disney never stated a problem with the actors, plot, online scrutiny, or storyline. If Disney can find a way to continue the characters’ stories without spending so much, they likely will because the fanbase is a dedicated one.

Of course, I live in the bubble of my own reality, but for those who aren’t aware, there has been a rampage of vitriol that we have faced since the show was even announced, when it was still just a concept, no one had even seen it. That’s when we started experiencing a rampage of, I would say, hyper-conservative bigotry and vitriol, prejudice, hatred, and hateful language towards us. This really affected me when I first got the job, because it’s just not something even though I anticipated it happening, it’s not something you can fully understand what it feels like until it’s happening to you.

Amandla Stenberg

Stenberg emphasized the need for critical thinking and questioning sources of information in today’s hyper-divisive climate. She encouraged her followers to vote and engage in civic participation to address the underlying issues that contribute to the negativity surrounding the series. She enjoyed her time in the role, but the online backlash was out of control.