Gabby Douglas Receives Love From Kerry Washington, Leslie Jones and More Celebs After Online Abuse
Gabby Douglas is getting a lot of love to drown out the hate!
After the Olympic gold medalist admitted that she's been staying off of social media due to "hurtful" comments she's been getting over her hair, as well as failing to place her hand over her heart during the National Anthem at the U.S. gymnastics team's gold medal ceremony last week, people have been coming in droves to support the 20-year-old gymnast, including Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones, who was herself the target of racist online abuse just weeks ago.
"Yo I just heard Gabby getting attacked on her page show her the love you showed me #LOVE4GABBYUSA send to @gabrielledoug," Jones tweeted, supporting a hashtag campaign to lift Douglas' spirits.
WATCH: Gabby Douglas Opens Up About ‘Hurtful’ Twitter Criticism, Bullying
Many other celebs have lent their support, including Scandal star Kerry Washington, who tweeted on Monday, "#LOVE4GABBYUSA nuff said."
Shonda Rhimes also tweeted, writing, "True story: Yesterday my 3 yr old announced that her name is now GabbyDouglas Rhimes. #LOVE4GABBYUSA @gabrielledoug."
WATCH: Gabby Douglas Apologizes for Not Placing Hand Over Heart at the Olympics
Chelsea Clinton invoked Michelle Obama's speech from this year's Democratic National Convention, writing, "Gabby - thank you for 1) sharing your remarkable talents with the world & 2) as Mrs. Obama said, going high when they go low #LOVE4GABBYUSA."
Shannon Woodward, star of the upcoming HBO series, Westworld, pointed out sexist double standards in how Douglas has been treated on social media.
"People love Michael Phelps' badass game face, but they can't handle Gabby Douglas' without shaming the hell out of her for it," Woodward wrote in a tweet that was liked by Inception star Ellen Page.
MORE: Mark Ballas Adorably Congratulates Former 'DWTS' Partner Aly Raisman on Her Rio Success
Douglas' mom, Natalie Hawkins, opened up about how her daughter is being treated to Reuters, saying, "What I saw in the stands was someone who was hurting and she was also angry. What was going through her head was 'I'm being attacked for everything I do so I might as well not do anything. Because no matter what I do, I am being attacked.'"
The support comes following a spate of criticism directed toward Douglas, despite the fact she offered an apology with regard to her demeanor during last week's medal ceremony, saying, "I never meant any disrespect and apologize if I offended anyone."
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