Erin Moriarty Choosing to Be ‘More Compassionate’ to Online Haters (Exclusive)

Erin Moriarty is sharing how she’s able to quiet the noise when it comes to internet trolls.

At San Diego Comic-Con 2024 on Friday, July 26, The Boys star spoke to PEOPLE about navigating some of the online negativity that comes with being public-facing.

“Honestly, I feel like it can make you susceptible and vulnerable to certain things, but it can also kind of make you more compassionate and make you look at others in a way that ironically, or maybe counterintuitively, ultimately exudes more love than it exudes negativity or pessimism,” she explains. “And that’s kind of what I’ve translated it into. I look at every person on the street and I think, They’re going through their own battle every single day, and who am I to project onto them or say harsh words to them? So that’s kind of how I’m metabolizing it. And so far it’s worked.”

Moriarty, 30, says that the best approach is to empower ourselves and “disempower those that might contribute to a lack of empowerment in ourselves.”

“I don’t care to say anything or to really shine any more light onto those people,” she adds. “I want to shine light and attention onto those that galvanize me and that feed the small pot of positivity that we have out into the world via social media that is, unfortunately, the minority, but if we focus on it, it can become the majority. And that’s what I want to focus on.”

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Moriarty has dealt with quite a bit of criticism online over the years. In January, the actress even took a break from social media for over a month because of it — mainly due to Megyn Kelly’s comments alleging she had plastic surgery to “completely change her face.”

“I am horrified by the reaction, the reductive assumptions, and the aforementioned video that is a prime example of such harassment,” Moriarty wrote. “It’s broken my heart. You’ve broken my heart. You’ve lost the privilege of this account.”

Directly addressing Kelly’s comments from the Jan. 17 episode of The Megyn Kelly Show — which used Moriarty’s before and after photos as an illustration about societal obsession for cosmetic surgery — she said: “Shame on you Megyn Kelly…Implying that my photo is reflective of women being in a worse place is as false as my conviction of saying that if you resigned, you would be leaving women in a better place.” 

At the time, Moriarty also debunked Kelly’s claim that the “before” photo of the actress was taken “about a year ago,” saying it was “actually taken about a decade ago, before I was of LEGAL DRINKING AGE,” reminding fans “I’m about to turn 30.”

“How utterly misinformed, inaccurate, and clickbait seeking people who we follow and consider to be informed is appalling,” she said. 

In defense against the “bullying,” the actress also said that the “after” photo was taken on a day she got her makeup done, involving “major contouring.”