It can be easy to forget that celebrities are people, too, with families they would like to spend time with outside of their homes every now and then. Some are more protective of their personal space than others, which can often lead to misunderstandings with fans looking to connect with a character when an actor is off-duty.
Power star Omari Hardwick is the latest to go through this awkward moment, defending himself after a fan accused him of yelling at her because she asked for a picture while he was with his wife and kids. Hardwick acknowledged that he declined to take the photo, but denies being rude or disrespectful. He also claims the woman followed his family before approaching him, according to social media quotes obtained by The Jasmine Brand.
“She got out of her car to follow me and my family maybe 200 yards…as this older sweet nanny tells us. She gets to me and ask for a pic. I say, as I always do, ‘God bless you, I don’t do [pictures] when I’m with my family.’ Respectfully. She then responds, ‘So, I can’t get a picture with you?!’ With SHOCK in her face. She never acknowledges my family with a LOOK. I go, ‘Huh? You didn’t hear what I said?’”
The fan herself then hopped in the comment section to respond, calling Hardwick a “liar.”
“You’re a liar. I walked off after saying, ‘Ah, really? Okay.’ Walked across the street, you started yelling…Your fans are who made you. A simple, ‘No, I don’t do pics when I’m with my family would have been nice.’ Your attitude is what shocked me, not the fact you wouldn’t take the pic.”
Other fans of the Sorry to Bother You star began defending him, asking why would she start screaming at a fan who voluntarily walked away when asked? Some even argued that he shouldn’t have been approached in the first place, to which his accuser responded:
“Y’all would have approached him as well, [but] being that it wasn’t y’all. Y’all have so much to say. Anyway, I know the truth and so [does] he. I’ve moved on and so has he. My thing is, don’t lie about it. I hate a liar. If you’re not approachable then so be it, I’m not the first he’s done this to, and won’t be the last.”
Hardwick then replied, “We absolutely know the truth. You are a lost human. God bless your soul.”
Do you believe Hardwick was rude or did the fan overstep her boundaries?
