NEWSPaget Brewster and Halsey Are the Latest Celebrities to Snap at Critics
Celebrities responded to criticism from detractors.
June 25 2026, Updated 8:43 a.m. ET
The celebrity-versus-critic fight is having another loud week.
Paget Brewster apologized Sunday, Jun 21, after telling ScreenRant writer Shealyn Scott “you s---” over coverage of Criminal Minds: Evolution, while Halsey spent part of the weekend going after YouTube music critic Anthony Fantano for his past review of The Great Impersonator. Different industries, different critics, same familiar dynamic: a famous person turns a review into the main event by responding publicly.
The Review Becomes the Headline
Paget Brewster apologized after criticizing a reporter online.
Brewster, who plays Emily Prentiss on Criminal Minds spinoff Criminal Minds: Evolution, deleted her original post after backlash. In it, she wrote, “Hello critic Shealyn Scott. You’re young. You don’t know that bad pics and bad reviews can lead to 350 people losing their jobs. Sell vintage. Work at a shelter. Do something better than what you do now. Because right now you s---.”
The article Brewster objected to included a Paramount-approved photo, and fans noted that Scott’s criticism focused on the show’s shortened episode structure, not Brewster personally.
Brewster later apologized on X.
“Hi guys, I was mean to Shealyn Scott last night and I profoundly regret it,” she wrote. “Shame on me for insulting a human being for doing their job. I’m very sorry, Shealyn. And I’m sorry to those who follow me that you saw me behave like that. Turns out, last night, I s-----.”
Halsey Takes Aim
Halsey pushed back against a music critic’s review.
Halsey’s fight with Fantano was more personal. The singer, whose 2024 album The Great Impersonator received a “decent 1” from Fantano, objected to his description of the album as having “the worst case of ‘main character syndrome’ I’ve heard on any pop album in 2024.”
But the review returned to the spotlight Sunday when X user @NotRealMusic wondered why there was “still discourse” about it, and Fantano responded, “if they’re more into the review than the album,” alongside a laughing emoji.
- Halsey Apologizes After Unintentionally Calling For The 'Collapse' Of One World Trade Center While Slamming Her Bad Album Review
- Mean Off-Screen: Chrissy Teigen, James Franco, Lea Michele, More Celebrities Who Have Been Accused Of Bullying
- Megyn Kelly Fumes Over 'Nightmare' Blake Lively Settling With Justin Baldoni: 'You Ruined Your Own Reputation!'
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Social media amplified the disputes between stars and critics.
“I’m certain my least memorable song will be remembered more fondly and for more time than anything you ever do with your life will be,” Halsey wrote in response to the exchange.
“Who cares he gave a bad review? I care that a pay for clicks reaction YouTuber can facade as a pro critic and say it’s ‘main character syndrome’ for an artist to lament her medical suffering on an album (surprise!) about her own life,” she continued, calling him “a raised-by-4chan edgelord bully.”
A Very Old Pattern With New Speed
Celebrity responses shifted attention away from the original reviews.
This is not new. From Michael Che to Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande to Olivia Munn, a wave of stars in recent years have publicly lashed out at critics, bloggers or entertainment reporters.
Artists feel critics can flatten years of work into one harsh line. Critics, meanwhile, often have far smaller platforms than the celebrities. When a star answers a critic directly, the review stops being the story and the reaction becomes the spectacle.
