Actress Florence Pugh has responded to Instagram trolls who posted comments she described as “horrid” and “bullying” after she made her relationship with Scrubs actor Zach Braff official on Instagram earlier in the week.
The 24-year-old Little Women star took to Instagram earlier today to post a video in which she revealed that trolls flooded her Instagram with abusive and bullying comments after she posted a birthday tribute to boyfriend Zach Braff on Monday, April 6.
The flood of abusive comments forced her to turn comments off on her Instagram for the first time since she joined the social media platform.
Pugh said she has always encouraged a positive and friendly atmosphere on her Instagram page and that she would not allow trolling and bullying. She said that reading the abusive comments made her sad because these are trying times when people need to come together to support and love each other.
The British actress said that at 24 years of age she does not need advice about who she should love. She has also never tried to tell anyone who they can love or can’t love.
She said her choice has nothing to do with anyone and that followers who don’t agree with what she was saying should unfollow her because any abuse thrown at Braff was abuse thrown at her.
Florence posted a tribute to boyfriend Braff for his 45th birthday
She captioned a photo of Braff with their dog Billie:
“Today we shall smile wider than the clouds are grey. April 6th and we’re celebrating hard! Happy Birthday wishes, boogies and cheers for this special person. Raise those bubbles and jiggle!”
Pugh and Braff have been dating since last year after they met while working together on Braff’s short film In The Time It Takes to Get There, which he wrote and directed. The two were first romantically linked in April 2019 when they were spotted holding hands in New York
They kept their relationship private, but Pugh decided to make an exception on Braff’s birthday on April 6.
Pugh’s followers have commented about her age gap with Braff
Negatives comments in the past about Pugh’s relationship with Braff have often focussed on their age gap. Braff, who is 45 years old, is 21 years older than Pugh.
Back in December, when Braff reacted to a photo of Pugh showing her posing in front of Greenblatt’s Deli in Los Angeles, an Instagram user commented, “You’re 44 years old.”
“And yet he got it,” Pugh responded.
NBA star Dwyane Wade was similarly forced to respond to trolls who criticized his 12-year-old child, Zaya, for wearing fake nails and a crop top in a family photo. Wade insisted that he and his wife, Gabrielle Union, supported Zaya for coming out as a transgender female.
Braff previously dated model Taylor Bagle,y but they split in 2014 after dating for five years.