In an unfortunate move for Captain Marvel fans, Brie Larson is the latest celebrity to start shilling NFTs, and the situation is already getting ugly. Despite watching Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, and the cringe-inducing pairing of Paris Hilton and Jimmy Fallon get roasted alive on social media, Larson waded into the cryptocurrency waters by announcing she changed her Twitter profile to a recently purchased NFT.
#NewProfilePic – got a @FlowerGirlsNFT by @VarvaraAlay
pic.twitter.com/ZJxic6ST75
— Brie Larson (@brielarson) February 4, 2022
Larson’s timing couldn’t have been worse. Not even an hour earlier, former The O.C. and Gotham star Ben McKenzie fired off a viral tweet that linked to an article warning people about the dangers of listening to Hollywood celebs:
I’m just a former teen idol standing here (alone?) asking people to consider downside risk and the possibility of fraud. I hope I’m wrong, but pretty sure we’ll find out soon enough. Good luck folks – don’t take financial advice from celebs, including me. https://t.co/d250lrJgvk
— Ben McKenzie (@ben_mckenzie) February 4, 2022
The article even included further advice from McKenzie, who has become a high-profile crypto/NFT skeptic, to the degree he regularly writes about it online:
McKenzie has since written more for Slate alongside journalist Jacob Silverman, with whom he is collaborating on a book about cryptocurrency. The thesis generally boils down to the title of that first column: “Celebrity crypto shilling is a moral disaster.” Even if crypto and blockchain technology have great potential, McKenzie states, the executives, venture capitalists and celebrities pushing them “haven’t earned your trust — or your money.”
McKenzie’s advice would soon come in handy as Larson revealed herself as the latest NFT pusher, prompting a wave of backlash on Twitter. Even people who defended Larson from the excessive online vitriol she experienced during Captain Marvel‘s 2019 release couldn’t bring themselves to back her on this one.
You can see some of the reactions below:
*New Brie Larson tweet* *sees what it is* pic.twitter.com/HrBDobOjm0
— Shruti Rao (@shrutiraoart) February 4, 2022
Reese Witherspoon AND Brie Larson are on the NFT train?! The only actor we can trust is Ben McKenzie
— Danielle Sepulveres (@ellesep) February 4, 2022
Brie Larson’s publicist seeing her newest tweet: pic.twitter.com/uAgv5Xnh9z
— yehu (@comicyehu) February 4, 2022
I am officially announcing my resignation from being Brie’s reply guy. Please respect my privacy at this time. https://t.co/DUji9XVHvH
— Gabby
(@gabs820) February 4, 2022
pov: you’ve defended brie larson from every bit of slander she’s received but you can’t defend her supporting nft’s pic.twitter.com/FYSzLXij1u
— Jordy
euphoria spoilers (@collarsarcane) February 4, 2022
Everyone to brie larson: pic.twitter.com/tNur47bbS1
— PastelNoir
(@PastelN0ir) February 4, 2022
brie saw The Eternals and said “i’ll show them who’s still the worst avenger” https://t.co/Vff3FV2oSG
— soul nate (@MNateShyamalan) February 4, 2022
BRIE LARSON YOU BETRAYED ME DO YOU KNOW HOW DEEP IN THE TRENCHES I WAS FOR YOU IN 2019 pic.twitter.com/C0tk1OXpWI
— kuvira’s sacrificial lamb skye ♡ (𝓉𝓋)
i was always ready to defend Brie and then the NFT thing??? pic.twitter.com/1gmWQzItca
— Sam
I MoonKnight era (@natsmultiverse) February 4, 2022
brie this morning pic.twitter.com/7Rw0yhGn4o
— Alex Desaulniers (@theinfinitejpeg) February 4, 2022
We’d also like to express our deepest condolences to the tweet below, which couldn’t have aged more poorly in such a short amount of time. It honestly hurt to see this.
Brie Larson does not deserve to be roasted the way she is. Like here she is just chilling, not shilling for NFTs like everyone else. This should be encouraged. https://t.co/Suh0qPMwNx
— Madeline Kelly (Maddie) (@MKlesbianlit) February 1, 2022