Social media users have leapt on Jordan Peterson, accusing him of falling for an internet prank about the upcoming Snow White reboot.
The Canadian psychologist has a strong presence online, with millions of followers across various social media sites. His opinions often stir up conversation and go viral, prompting reactions from across the political spectrum.
The latest social media fodder has been his response to a tweet from the satirical conservative website The Babylon Bee, launched in 2016.
Disney is filming new live-action remake of Snow White, starring Rachel Zegler, an actress of Colombian and Polish descent. The casting received backlash when it was announced in 2021, but new details have also been slammed by online users. In the 2024 version of Snow White, the seven dwarfs will be played by one actor with dwarfism and six others of varying genders and ethnicities.
The Babylon Bee added to the outrage with a joke about the plotline of Snow White, which Peterson responded to.
“Disney to remove problematic kiss from classic movie, Snow White will now remain dead,” The Babylon Bee tweeted, joking that the prince from the 1812 German fairy tale won’t kiss a dead Snow White, and bring her back to life, in the new version.
Peterson retweeted The Babylon Bee post, adding: “Looks like @Disney can’t stop chasing failure.”
Peterson has been a vocal opponent of Disney in recent times, as the company publicly opposed the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” in Florida, got into a war of words with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and was seen to promote LGBTQ+ representation in their movies.
Peterson’s post was pounced on by social media users. “You know this is satire right?” asked @TheWickedZen, while @henryfalk said: “This is a joke, not real news.”
Others asked if Peterson knew what The Babylon Bee is, while some were quick to defend Peterson, suggesting he knows exactly what the site is and that he knows what he’s doing.
User @TheOneChaaluna said while the story may not be true now, it could manifest later. “This is from a parody account, so it’s not actually true…it could become true later though. BB is pretty good at predicting the future!”
The Babylon Bee owner Seth Dillon told Newsweek in February that mocking woke people is the site’s “moral purpose.” At that point, Dillon had 85 examples of faux stories created by the publication, which allegedly turned out true in some form.
Peterson is regularly outspoken on social media, often receiving backlash for his statements. In recent months, he has blasted Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for having a “Budweiser moment” over their Fourth of July message. He was slammed online for tweeting earlier that “trans women are men.”
