Actress Kyla Pratt is calling out Evan Rachel Wood after the Westworld actress reacted to the death of Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash by bringing up a past sexual assault allegation against the late NBA legend. Wood’s controversial tweet, in which she told followers that although a “sports hero,” Bryant “was also a rapist,” led to an overwhelming amount of backlash, and on Sunday, Pratt, who notably voiced Penny Proud on the Disney Channel series The Proud Family, joined the growing number of social media users slamming the comments.
Evan. We met as kids & I grew up in the same industry has you and have admired your work from afar these past few years. On camera and off. But this tweet? How fucking dare you?
— Kyla Pratt (@KylaPratt) January 27, 2020
In her own tweet, Wood had shared a link to a 2016 Daily Beast article titled “Kobe Bryant’s Disturbing Rape Case: The DNA Evidence, the Accuser’s Story, and the Half-Confession.” The article referred to the 2003 case in which a 19-year-old woman accused Bryant of sexual assault. The case had been quickly dismissed a week before it was set to go to trial because the alleged victim would not testify. The woman later filed a civil suit, which was settled out of court after Bryant issued an apology to the alleged victim.
Videos by PopCulture.com
In the wake of Bryant’s death, a number of social media users have brought the case back to the forefront of conversation, with one Washington Post reporter being “placed on administrative leave” after she shared a link to the same Daily Beast article.
Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others, including pilot Ara Zobayan, were killed Sunday, Jan. 26 when the famed basketball star’s helicopter crashed into a Calabasas, California hillside in dense fog. The group had been traveling to Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy for a basketball game.
In the wake of the tragedy, celebrities and fans alike have flocked to social media to react to the news, with Pratt in a tweet reacting to the news by asking social media users to “show respect.”
Praying for and sending love to the families affected by today’s tragedy. No matter what, people have lost their fathers, mothers, daughter, sons, wives, &etc. Let’s show respect during this time, while their families grieve on a whole other level. 💔
— Kyla Pratt (@KylaPratt) January 27, 2020
Along with setting milestones on the court throughout his two-decade-long basketball career, Bryant had also taken his shot on the small screen. In 2003, he voiced an animated version of himself of an episode of The Proud Family titled “One in a Million,” in which Pratt’s Penny won a chance to shoot a half-court shot at a basketball game for $1 million.
