Riverdale star Vanessa Morgan has sensationally slammed the writers of the hit teen drama to call them out for undermining black performers and their characters.
The 27-year-old Canadian actress plays Toni Topaz in the American TV show which is based on the classic Archie comics characters.
Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, the star hit out at portrayal of black people in television – and went on to slate the writers of the show that she has starred in since 2017.
She wrote: “Tired of how black people are portrayed in Media, tired of us being portrayed as thugs, dangerous or angry scary people.
“Tired of us also being used as sidekick non dimensional characters to our white leads. Or only used in the ads for diversity but not actually in the show.”
She added: “I’m not being Quite anymore #BlackLivesMatter.”
In Riverdale, Vanessa’s character is a bisexual gang member – and she went on to hit out over the characterisation, and claimed she is the lowest paid actress on the CW show.
Responding to another Twitter user, she wrote: “imagine they’re getting so much more bang for their buck bc ur part of an lgbt storyline too, double the diversity – DOUBLE UR PAYCHECK IMO”
She added: “Lmao too bad I’m the only black series regular but also paid the least… girl i could go on for days.”
She went on to ask followers not to hit out at her fellow Riverdale cast members.
She wrote: “My role on Riverdale has nothing to do with my fellow castmates/friends. They don’t write the show. So no need to attack them, they don’t call the shots & I know they have my back.”
Indeed, Riverdale star Lili Reinhart – who plays Betty Cooper on the show – threw her support behind Vanessa.
She tweeted: “We love you, V. And support you 10000%.”
Riverdale creator and writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, 43, has shown his support for the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the death of George Floyd in America last week.
He shared an image on Instagram declaring: “Latinos for Black Lives Matter”.
While on Twitter the TV star – who also created and writes Riverdale spin-offs Chilling Adentures of Sabrina and Katy Keene – revealed that the writers of his shows had made donations to the charities Black Visions Collective and Minnesota Freedom Fund.
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