Evan Rachel Wood Returns to the Stage After Kobe Bryant Controversy

Evan Rachel Wood kicked a hornet's nest on social media in the wake of Kobe Bryant's death. Many [...]

Evan Rachel Wood kicked a hornet's nest on social media in the wake of Kobe Bryant's death. Many spoke out about the Lakers icon's past following his shocking demise, singling out his past sexual assault allegations amid the outpouring of grief from fans.

Wood tweeted out a message shortly after Bryant's death was confirmed and quickly drew the ire of people online. The actress only recently returned to the public eye after the post.

"What has happened is tragic. I am heartbroken for Kobe's family," Wood tweeted back in January. "He was a sports hero. He was also a rapist. And all of these truths can exist simultaneously."

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The actress has been open about her past sexual harassment and assault experiences, so her opinion shouldn't surprise. But the timing played a part in the intense reaction she received. She was forced to lock her account and took a break from social media.

She was called out by fellow actress Kyla Pratt and several fans who felt her timing was way off.

"I'm a huge fan of you, but now isn't really the time hun," one critic posted. "A family's is grieving. A wife lost her husband. Children lost their father. If you don't have anything nice to say it's best not to say anything at all."

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Front row. 💘Evan Rachel Wood💘No more posts are needed💖😍💕

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The actress only recently returned to Instagram to promote the upcoming third season of Westworld on HBO. She's now followed it with a return to the stage with her band Evan+Zane for a sweet Valentine's Day concert in West Hollywood.

Promotional posts for the concert appeared on Instagram but most left the comments turned off. There also didn't seem to be any blowback at the show itself on Friday night. There was one comment, though, and it offered a way for Wood to make peace with her comments.

"Kobe Bryant loved Whitney Huston. You should do a Whitney song, maybe from the movie the body guard, "I will always love you". Such an awesome song!" a comment wrote on a post added by The Peppermint Club venue.

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Fans of Wood were definitely excited about the show and left happy by the actress' performance. But despite the public appearance, the Westworld actress' social media remains locked down.

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