In the midst of shelter-in-place orders and social distancing, Outlander’s Sam Heughan found himself having to do both in Hawaii instead of the United Kingdom, having traveled to the U.S. state prior to the coronavirus pandemic fully taking hold around the world. The actor kept fans updated via social media while self isolating, even posting shirtless photos to encourage them to keep working out. On a more serious note, however, the Outlander actor recently admitted to being bullied and harassed constantly for the past six years.
For the first time since landing the role of Outlander’s Jamie Fraser, Sam Heughan candidly discussed the alleged harassment that he’s been getting. In a lengthy and detailed post made to Twitter, Heughan claimed that bullies have “created a false narrative, shared private information and abused” the people closest to him. Here’s what he wrote:
After the past six years of constant bullying, harassment, stalking and false narratives I am at a loss, upset, hurt and have to speak out. It’s affecting my life, mental state and is a daily concern. My costars, friends, family, myself, in fact I’m associated with, has been subjected to personal slurs, shaming, abuse, death threats, stalking, sharing private information and vile, false narrative. I’ve never spoken about it because I believe in humanity and have always hoped these bullies would just go away.
Sam Heughan also alleged that the private accommodation where he’s staying in Hawaii was being stalked and that the harassment extended to his colleagues. Attempts were allegedly made to “hack our email and personal accounts” over the last six years and Heughan said that he’s “so hurt by this.” There’s a lot more to the allegations, as Heughan laid out more of the specific harassment he’s reportedly faced in recent weeks. In his words:
Recently, these false claims vary from me manipulating fans, being a closet-homosexual, trying to mislead or exhort fans for money and disregarding Covid advice. I’ve done non [sic] of the above. I’m a normal guy and nothing like the characters I play.
The Outlander actor adds that he had been ill for three months and that he’s taking even further precautions in light of the pandemic. Staying put in Hawaii was a “good decision.” Sam Heughan concluded the post by thanking the fans who have always supported him and his work over the years. You can read his full post below.
Outlander is currently in its fifth season, with Sam Heughan and co-star Caitriona Balfe serving as producers on the show. More recently, Hueghan reacted to the game-changing death of a fan favorite character. Fans mourned the loss as well, but got a nice surprise when a Season 4 character returned to the Starz show.
New episodes of Outlander Season 5 air Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Starz. For more on what to watch, be sure to check out our list for all the big TV finales coming this spring and summer.
