Why Sarah Michelle Gellar Was Once Accused of ‘Fat-Shaming’ on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, for many, is a time for family and friends to gather around a table and enjoy a meal together, enjoying one another’s company and eating lots of delicious food. Still, for others, it can be a tense day full of awkward conversations and snide comments. Celebrities, who are just like us, deal with this as well, as Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar once found out.

Back in 2018, Gellar faced backlash for what some deemed a controversial Thanksgiving photo. Gellar took to Instagram to share some past lingerie photos of herself, and she included a caption that some found to be insensitive. “I’m just going to pin these up all over my house as a reminder not to overeat on Thursday,” she wrote, adding the hashtag “#thanksgivingprep.”

The comment was very triggering for some fans, who felt that the combination of the photos and her statement came across as fat shaming. “Seriously get over urself ur a c grade actress and u look like u need a burger,” one person angrily wrote. “No wonder young women have body images with s— like this.” Someone else said, “But so what if you did over eat? Think about the message you’re sending to younger fans, or people who struggle with eating.”

Not everyone took offense at Gellar’s comment, however, as many defended the actress. “I’m a slim feminist and thought it was hilarious. She’s right: overeating makes people gain weight, and she doesn’t wish to gain weight. So like any normal person, she seeks not to overeat during a holiday that food marketers and American gluttony have turned into a free permission slip for self-indulgence,” one fan commented. “If someone doesn’t like it, there are approximately six bazillion IG accounts full of people clutching those permission slips.”

Many of Gellar’s celebrity friends commented on her post as well, with Jersey Shore’s Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, and actresses Tiffani Thiessen, Debra Messing and Shannen Doherty all posting comments that were jokingly supportive of the . Gellar eventually addressed the controversy, posting a comment on the photos explaining that she never meant any harm and was in no way intending to be fat shaming. “It’s come to my attention that some people think I was ‘fat shaming’ with this post. That could not be further from my intentions. I love Thanksgiving and unfortunately my eyes are often bigger than my stomach, and I tend to eat so much I make myself sick,” she said.

“This was a joking reminder to myself not to do that. I’m terribly sorry that people were offended by my attempt at humor. Any one that knows me, knows I would never intentionally ‘shame’ any one on any basis,” Gellar added. Finally, she reassured her followers that she is “a champion of all people.”