Actor Jenny Mollen says she’s shocked by the level of criticism she’s received after social media users condemned a post she shared about her son as “reprehensible”.
Mollen, who recently confirmed she and American Pie actor Jason Biggs have split, drew attention online after sharing a photo featuring their 12-year-old son, Sid.
After the post went up, she faced a wave of negative reactions, with many people taking issue with the caption and calling it “inappropriate”.
“Your eldest son will be the most toxic guy you ever date,” she wrote in the since-deleted caption on her channels.
Even though the caption is no longer visible, the backlash has continued.
“Super weird. And I have boys the same age. And yes we hug and cuddle but that caption was creepy AF,” one said.
Another person added: “As a boy mom, I’m deeply appalled. The first caption was reprehensible. I can’t imagine thinking that was an appropriate thing to say about your child.”
The 46-year-old later responded on Instagram Stories, describing the reaction she’d seen as “jaw-dropping”.
She suggested the intensity of the criticism may be tied to her recent separation, saying: “It’s like because I’m getting separated, because I’m not protected by the institution of marriage, I’m suddenly like a different kind of target in what I’m posting. Like this is absolutely jaw-dropping.
“A photo of me hugging my 12-year-old child is getting ridiculed.”
Mollen also wrote that people who are upset by the post ‘won’t get it unless you have a son that makes you do things that you would never, ever, ever do for another man.’
Mollen and Biggs are parents to two children: Sid and their younger son, Lazlo, who is eight.
Amid the criticism, others came to Mollen’s defence as well.
On The View, she was defended for her post. Co-host Sara Haines defended the caption as typical of Mollen’s style, saying Mollen is purposefully being ‘provocative’ to get a rise out of people online.
Sunny Hostin, who also has a son, questioned whether the response would have changed if the child pictured had been a girl, asking: “If that were a mother hugging her daughter, would the reaction have been the same?”
Guest co-host Kara Swisher dismissed the uproar, telling the panel: “I don’t care.”
“Mind your own business and you won’t be minding mine,” she elaborated. “Now, she did put it out on public media, essentially. Look, she’s hugging her son. So what? I hug my kids, my boys, all the time, and one of them’s 6’5, so it takes a little bit to do that. I’m really hugging his waist.
“We have to dunk on everyone for everything they do. Just leave her alone.”