Star Wars' Kelly Marie Tran Leaves Instagram And Celebrities Come To Her Defense

Days after Star Wars: The Last Jedi star Kelly Marie Tran removed all of the posts on her Instagram account, numerous celebrities--those associated with Star Wars and those who simply know and admire her--are coming to the actress's defense. Though an official reason for her exit from the social media platform has not been given, it's believed that racist and sexist comments from users is behind it.

The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson, who has also found himself on the receiving end of negative comments following the release of the Star Wars film, quickly spoke out about the issue, emphasizing that the angry side of the fandom is not the majority. "On social media a few unhealthy people can cast a big shadow on the wall, but over the past 4 years I've met lots of real fellow [Star Wars] fans," he wrote on Twitter. "We like & dislike stuff but we do it with humor, love & respect. We're the VAST majority, we're having fun & doing just fine."

When a user claimed he was lumping in everyone critical of his film with online harassers, Johnson replied, "You know the difference between not liking a movie and hatefully harassing a woman so bad she has to get off social media. And you know which of those two we're talking about here."

Others that spoke out include Baby Driver director Edgar Wright and Frozen star Josh Gad, among many more. Olivia Munn, who appears in the upcoming The Predator, not only gives Tran kudos for having such a major role in the Star Wars franchise, but for taking a stand by leaving social media. "As an Asian American actress myself, I am SO PROUD of [Kelly Marie Tran] for forging a path in Hollywood, which is extremely hard because it's not a path that already exists for us. Not only did she find a way, but she found it all the way to [Star Wars]," she wrote. "...I'm proud of Kelly for taking a stand and saying enough to the bullshit. But I hope that if she ever wants to come back to social media, she does, because she deserves to be here and we need more people like her putting good energy out in the world."

While Tran has yet to publicly comment on the situation, there's clearly no shortage of support coming from her peers--as well as Star Wars fans. Besides, there's one force in this franchise's crazy universe that has given her a stamp of approval that shows just how important she is to Star Wars. Take it away, Mark Hamill...

It remains to be seen whether Tran will reprise her role as Rose Tico in Star Wars: Episode IX. Given her status as of the end of The Last Jedi, though, there's plenty of room for her return.