The 23-year-old Disney star is at the centre of an online ‘smear campaign’

Sean Ono Lennon, the son of Yoko Ono and Beatles musician John Lennon, has berated Snow White star Rachel Zegler in a brutal takedown.

Zegler, who made her screen debut in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, has been highlighted as one of the few positives in the critically mauled Disney live-action remake – but despite this, she has found herself the source of vitriol in what has been deemed a “smear campaign” against the 23-year-old.

It’s been claimed that comments made by Zegler caused consternation among the film’s producers in the run-up to release – and is now being blamed for the film’s poor box office performance.

These comments, including an anti-Trump sentiment, have also appeared to fuel online trolls into criticising Zegler’s off-screen personality, which has led to the film being review bombed on film site IMDb, where it’s currently ranked among the worst films of all time.

Days after the son of Snow White producer Marc Platt launched a tirade against the actor, and Russell Brand described her as “haughty”, musician Lennon waded in on the debate surrounding Zegler.

Despite stating that he “agrees the vilifaction” of the actor has gone “too far”, he added in a now-deleted X/Twitter post: “But she also acts like a spoiled, ungrateful and disconnected brat. So it’s no surprise.”

‘Snow White’ star Rachel Zegler has found herself at the centre of backlash (Disney)

The post follows an earlier one in which Lennon called Zegler and her co-star Gal Gadot “exceptionally beautiful women” in response to sexist posts critiquing their appearance.

The Independent has contacted Lennon for comment.

Zegler first sparked controversy among conservative and right-wing critics in 2023 when she suggested the remake would be more feminist than the original film, which was released in 1937.

“It’s no longer 1937 – she’s not going to be saved by the prince, and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love,” the actor said in an interview. “She’s dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be.”

Zegler backtracked on the comments ahead of the film’s release after reportedly agreeing to work with a social media specialist paid for by Disney who approved all her posts leading up to the film’s release date.

The actor, who is of Colombian descent, also faced backlash from right-wing voices who were unhappy about the lead fictional character being portrayed by a person of colour.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump supporters criticised Zegler for her reaction to the US president’s re-election when she posted on Instagram about the “four years of hatred” he would bring in America. She later apologised for “contributing to negative discourse”.

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Rachel Zegler in the Disney live-action remake of ‘Snow White’ (Disney)

After a Variety article revealed that Platt had flown to New York to speak with Zegler after she shared her support for Palestine, his son Jonah wrote a lengthy post criticising the actor for allegedly “dragging her personal politics into the middle of promoting the movie for which she signed a multi-million dollar contract to get paid and do publicity for”.

Jonah continued: “This is called adult responsibility and accountability. And her actions clearly hurt the film’s box office. Free speech does not mean you’re allowed to say whatever you want in your private employment without repercussions.

“Tens of thousands of people worked on that film and she hijacked the conversation for her own immature desires at the risk of all the colleagues and crew and blue collar workers who depend on that movie to be successful. Narcissism is not something to be coddled or encouraged.”

After the film’s second weekend of release, it has made back approximately just half of its budget, which was projected as being between $230-270m.