Bella Thorne (rightly) called out Whoopi Goldberg’s “disgusting” take on her nude photo hack

Nude photo hacks inevitably lead to discussions about privacy and security—which unfortunately sometimes involve victim-blaming. A hacker recently threatened to release Bella Thorne’s topless photos, so the actress preemptively shared the pictures herself. Thorne wrote on social media that she was taking her “power back,” but The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg said that she should never have taken nude photos. And now, Thorne is calling out Goldberg.

On the June 17th episode of The View, the co-hosts discussed the hacked photos, and Goldberg argued that, for celebrities especially, having nude photos is a security liability.

"If you're famous, I don't care how old you are. You don't take nude pictures of yourself," she said. "When they are hacking you, they are hacking all of your stuff. So whether it's one picture or a million pictures, once you take that picture, it goes into the cloud and it's available to any hacker who wants it and if you don't know that in 2019, that is an issue. I'm sorry. Your age does not—you don't get to do that. You don't get to do it."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXTmW1W7NG8

In a June 18th Instagram Story, the actress responded, writing in a note that she was “displeased and saddened” by what Goldberg had said. She added that blaming victims of nude photo leaks was “sick and honestly disgusting.”

"I'm offended for anyone out there who has ever taken a sexy photo," she continued. "I am offended for Jennifer Lawrence who feels publicly raped. I am offended for every person who has committed suicide for someone leaking their nudes. Ur view on this matter is honestly awful and I hope u change ur mindset as u are a show talking to young girls."

Thorne also shared a video of her crying as she addressed Goldberg. She said she was scheduled to appear on The View but would drop out because she didn’t want to be “beaten down by a bunch of older women.” She added that Goldberg’s comments had made her feel bad, and emphasized that this attitude could have a devastating effect on other young people in the same situation.

"Shame on you, Whoopi," she said through tears. "Shame on you and shame on you for putting that public opinion just out there like that for every young girl to think that they're disgusting for even taking a photo like that."

To be clear, only hackers are to blame for leaked nude photos. No one should be shamed for their decision to take photos of their body. We’re sending all of our support Thorne’s way.

If you or anyone you know is dealing with thoughts of suicide, you can reach The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255. You are not alone.