The latest jaw-dropping moment in The Last of Us series has left fans divided — and furious. Kaitlyn Dever’s character, Abby, murders Joel (Pedro Pascal), a fan-favorite and father figure to Ellie (Bella Ramsey), as revenge for her own father’s death. The brutal twist ignites a new cycle of violence in the story, as Ellie sets out to hunt Abby and her crew.
But offscreen, the emotional reactions have taken a darker turn. Dever has already been targeted by online trolls — including cruel messages posted under a heartbreaking pinned Instagram post about her late mother. Thankfully, Bella Ramsey isn’t staying silent.
Ramsey, who is close friends with Dever in real life, spoke out during an appearance on Capital Buzz. “Nobody hate on Kaitlyn. Why would you do that?” they said. “It’s just unnecessary. I mean, people hate on me too. People love to hate people but I don’t really enjoy that. We’re playing characters — and that’s all there is to it.”
Ramsey, who has previously been mocked online for their appearance, has managed to avoid much of the social media backlash by choosing to leave the platforms altogether. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, they explained, “I always knew I’d deactivate it one day. I never really wanted social media to begin with. It wasn’t this big dramatic decision, but with Season 2 coming, I knew avoiding Twitter and Reddit would make things easier — and it has.”
During the Capital Buzz chat, Ramsey also praised Dever’s talent and personality, saying, “She’s hilarious in real life. Such a brilliant actor and just a wonderful person. I didn’t realize how funny she was until we went out to play pool. We shared an Uber home and I couldn’t stop laughing.”
This isn’t the first time an actress playing Abby has been subjected to online harassment. Laura Bailey, who voiced the character in the video game The Last of Us Part II, was bombarded with hate and even death threats. She eventually shared some of the abusive messages online to show the harsh reality of her experience.
While Bailey ultimately received support from the fan community, the ordeal was deeply troubling. With Dever now stepping into the same controversial role, fans and cast members alike hope history won’t repeat itself.
