Jeremiah has become one of the most disliked characters on The Summer I Turned Pretty. Fans have taken to social media to express their feelings, with some even approaching Gavin Casalegno, the actor who plays him, to share their dislike. Popular brands have joined in by creating memes, giving fans even more to talk about.
Here’s what Casalegno shared about the audience’s response to his character.
Gavin Casalegno says he’s aware that The Summer I Turned Pretty fans ‘tend to dislike’ Jeremiah
The show is currently in its third and final season. With the story coming to a close, fans remain divided between Conrad and Jeremiah, with the latter receiving the most hate.
Casalegno’s personal life seems to have been affected as well. During an interview with The New York Times, he responded to the backlash against Jeremiah.
Casalegno said, “They tend to dislike him, yes. I don’t check Instagram anymore, so I really haven’t seen that much hate. The only thing that I see is my sister sending me the memes that are really funny. I think it’s important to also understand and realize that this is a fictional story, and it’s also not me.”
“I don’t think there’s a single human being in the world who can carry the emotional negativity to the degree that stuff like this happens,” he added, speaking about Jeremiah. “And I think that’s why Amazon did a good job of stepping in and being like, ‘Hey, no bullying.’ Though, not really going so well.”
Popular brands have also used the moment to weigh in on the rivalry. In one Instagram post, Delta Air Lines shared a meme about which seat they’d assign Jeremiah: the toilet seat.
Casalegno faced additional criticism for a Dunkin’ Donuts ad where he dubbed himself “the king of summer” and credited his “golden” color to “genetics.” Viewers accused the spot of reinforcing Eurocentric beauty standards.
