Letitia Wright has revealed that she has received hateful messages from people telling her she deserves to die, speaking out about the harassment amid ongoing rumors about her personal life.
During an Oct. 5 appearance on Paloma Faith’s Mad, Sad, Bad podcast, the Black Panther star opened up about the challenges of navigating her Christian faith alongside her personal life and explained why she has become more protective of her privacy.
“People said I deserve to die,” Wright recalled while discussing the hurtful comments she has received. When Faith asked if the situation had really become that extreme, Wright confirmed, “Yeah. It’s that bad.”
Wright explained that she makes an effort to avoid reading the messages, especially as she deals with the emotional impact of being judged by people who don’t truly know her. “If someone was to sit and have a conversation with me and just listen to me, I bet you half of the comments that they’re saying about me would be different,” she said.
The interview comes weeks after Wright fueled marriage rumors following a public appearance with a woman identified as Angel-Vicki. The pair were photographed together on Sept. 3 at the press night for Wright’s play The Story at London’s National Theatre.
Angel-Vicki later posted photos with the caption, “Happy Press Night! I’m beyond proud of you,” while other pictures showed the two wearing matching pajamas alongside the affectionate message “mi amor.”
Both women subsequently deactivated their Instagram accounts.
Speculation about their relationship intensified after Angel-Vicki’s Instagram bio reportedly included the terms “WLW” and “Married.” An account believed to belong to Wright also reportedly replied “yessssssss” when directly asked if she was married.
Neither woman has publicly confirmed a wedding, and Wright did not discuss Angel-Vicki or her marital status during the podcast.
However, the actress made it clear that being in the public eye doesn’t give people the right to scrutinize every aspect of her personal life. “Just because I have a public talent doesn’t mean that the other parts of my life is a free-for-all,” Wright told Faith.
Wright also opened up about the complicated relationship between her Christian faith and personal experiences, admitting that the two can sometimes be difficult to reconcile. “I feel like you’re not allowed to be complex,” she explained. “So you have to be either one way or the other.”
She revealed that she’s been processing these feelings through therapy while learning to embrace herself despite the judgments of others.
“I’m allowed to be complex and different and whole and still be worthy of love,” she said.
Wright also raised concerns about the limits of online criticism and when it crosses the line into abuse. “When does free speech become too much? And when does it become just hateful? Really, really hateful.”
The discussion comes as Wright prepares to reprise her role as Shuri in Avengers: Doomsday and Black Panther 3, which will introduce David Jonsson as Prince T’Challa. As she continues her journey in the Marvel universe, Wright said she’s learning how to shield herself from the more harmful aspects of public attention.
“I’m learning to love myself within that despite what people may say,” she explained. “And not be told I deserve to die.”
