‘Midnight Mass’ Star Frustrated by Social Media Comments: ‘Can Only Deflect’ for So Long

Midnight Mass star Rahul Kohli recently shared that he’s frustrated by, and “can only deflect for so long” the social media comments comparing him and other actors with whom he shares a “skin color.” In a series of tweets Friday morning, Kohli criticized people who keep “@-ing” him “every time a brown person pops up in a show.” He stated that he’s very “tired” of having to field these types of interactions so frequently.

The iZombie alum pointed that when his former castmate Rose McIver’s “new show was announced” he was “flooded” with notifications of social media users asking, “Why didn’t Rahul do it?” McIver’s co-star in the new CBS sitcom Ghosts is actor and rapper Utkarsh Ambudkar. Kohli explained that it’s insensitive for people to act as if “brown” actors can be “swapped around” in acting parts. “I don’t lose roles to Dev Patel or Riz Ahmed. They earned their roles because of what *they* individually bring to a character,” he added. “Just think before you @ me, ask yourself why they remind you of me and if it’s because we share the same pigment, keep it in the drafts.”

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Notably, Ambudkar recently spoke with PopCulture.com about Ghosts and, during the conversation, commented on the importance of South Asian representation in TV and film. “The more groups that we can include in the story, the more people are able to connect to it; and the more truth that we can tell from different perspectives, the more people laugh,” he offered. Ambudkar explained that he understands not everyone will get jokes that are culturally specific but added it’s still necessary to make everyone “feel seen and represented.”

“I hope that we’re doing that to some degree with [Ghosts]. It’s way, way, way less about who’s in front of the camera and way more about who’s behind the camera, in the writer’s room, producers, the creators, the crew, the design team, the creative team, executives,” Ambudkar said. “A lot of people just stop at who’s on-screen, but it’s way more important to look at who’s making the shows and what stories they want to tell and how willing they are, to tell the truth. I think Ghosts so far.” 

Midnight Mass is currently streaming on Netflix. Ghosts airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET and is available to stream on Paramount+. Those interested in seeing all Paramount+ has to offer can click here for a free streaming offer. Disclosure: PopCulture.com is owned by ViacomCBS Streaming, a division of ViacomCBS.