Ahead of the series finale of Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, Amazon has urged fans to “keep the conversation kind this summer” following rampant hate on social media.
The show’s official account shared a statement on several outlets to remind fans that the show is a work of fiction, and the actors who comprise its cast are real people.
“The show isn’t real but the people playing the characters are,” The Summer I Turned Pretty account on X, formerly Twitter, posted with a video graphic that read, “The Summer We Started Acting Normal Online.”
Gavin Casalegno has received death threats because of the show
According to Variety, the warning follows several instances in which cast members have been targeted online due to the show. Gavin Casalegno, who portrays Jeremiah Fisher, has even received death threats due to his character’s involvement in a messy love triangle with his brother, Conrad Fisher (Christopher Briney), and series lead Belly Conklin (Lola Tung) across the show’s three seasons.
Casalegno has also received online criticism for his alleged political beliefs, which fans have inferred from his interactions with conservative social media posts.
Amazon issued a similar warning in July ahead of the Season 3 premiere
The Summer I Turned Pretty warned fans to keep their comments civil in July, ahead of the Season 3 premiere, reminding them of the series community’s “zero tolerance policy for bullying and hate speech.” That message was shared again on Tuesday across The Summer I Turned Pretty social media accounts to underscore the latest message.
After the Season 3 premiere, Amazon TV chief Vernon Sanders explained to Variety that the message was necessary.
“We’ve had similar situations in the past with adaptations, where there is a fanbase out there that I think can get rowdy, and it sometimes can blur the line between characters and actors or overstep,” Sanders said. “And so we really appreciate them and appreciate their passion, but we’re trying to be more proactive about setting expectations of what we want to encourage and maybe what we find not appropriate. And I think our creators and our cast really appreciate us taking the proactive stance there.”
Summer officially ends for The Summer I Turned Pretty on Sept. 17.
