Shannon Purser

Shannon Purser exploded into the mainstream in 2016/2017 thanks to one-two-punch of roles on Stranger Things and Riverdale. However, that newfound success also saw Purser put under the social media microscope due to comments she made about fans who “ship” the Riverdale characters Betty and Veronica.

The resultant backlash led Purser to make a Twitter statement about her own sexuality, which read:

I don’t normally do this, but I figure now is just as good a time as any to get personal. I’ve only just recently come out as bisexual to my family and friends. It’s something I am still processing and trying to understand and I don’t like talking about it too much. I’m very very new to the LGBT community. I have never heard the term ‘queer-baiting’ in my life until today. That being said, I have never ever wanted to alienate anyone and my tweet was thoughtless. I wasn’t referring to all the Beronica shippers, just the ones who had been particularly cruel to me personally. Either way, it wasn’t a wise or kind thing to say and I’m disappointed in myself, especially as a Christian who has always been taught to speak love to others. Thank you to all the people who kindly reached out to me and educated me about the reality [of] your feelings about queer-baiting and I apologize to those who were hurt. Much love-Shannon.