Zendaya took home the award for favorite female TV star in a kids’ show at the 2016 Kids’ Choice Awards and gave an inspiring speech to both parents and kids.
“This is so beautiful,” the actress, who stars in Nickelodeon’s K.C. Undercover, said at the beginning of her speech. “This means so, so much to me. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I do it for you guys. I just want you to know that doing and making positive programming for young people is so important to me, and I will keep doing it.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Zendaya then spoke directly to the parents of the kids who watch her show saying, “To all the parents out there, thank you for allowing me to be a role model for your children. I really, really do not take that for granted.”
Following the 2016 Kids’ Choice Awards, Difficult People star Julie Klausner started a Twitter feud with the young actress, calling her out for her thin body frame.
“And thinspo model for your impressionable tweens,” the 37-year-old actress said, taking a jab at Zendaya’s “role model” comment during her acceptance speech. “Zendaya’s ultimate retort to Giuliana Rancic is starving herself down to the size of her elbowz. You don’t have to have an eating disorder to attend the Kids’ Choice Awards … but it helps!”
And thinspo model for your impressionable tweens https://t.co/ZUwTcgoQml
— Julie Klausner (@julieklausner) March 13, 2016
Zendaya’s ultimate retort to Giuliana Rancic is starving herself down to the size of one of her elbowz
— Julie Klausner (@julieklausner) March 13, 2016
You don’t have to have an eating disorder to attend the Kids’ Choice Awards….but it helps!
— Julie Klausner (@julieklausner) March 13, 2016
When Zendaya saw the messages, she fired back at Klausner with some messages of her own.
“Do you find this funny? I will write another paragraph to educate you aswell #youreallywannabenext?” the 19-year-old actress wrote. “Now … everyone go look in the mirror at their beautiful body, and love that s–t #thickgirlswinning #skinnygirlswinning #weallwinning.”
Not only did Zendaya stand up for herself, her millions of fans also started talking for her, attacking Klausner on Twitter.
“Zendaya’s threat to write another paragraph is more dread inducing than Kim Jong Un’s fronting about the bomb he has,” Klausner wrote before adding, “I would like to use this opportunity to educate Zendaya fans that the Reagans ignored AIDS.”
Zendaya and Julie Klausner got into a Twitter feud after the #KCA : https://t.co/Vxtqz2hsEG pic.twitter.com/4apAQblOFs
— Us Weekly (@usweekly) March 13, 2016
“Sticking up 4 AIDS is rad,” she continued. “It gets such a bad rap! Love that Zendaya goes so far as 2 have Nancy Reagan’s body type! … Let’s not fight. Here is my olive branch to Zendaya fans – can we just all agree that 1) all women are beautiful and 2) Zendaya hates Jews?”
This isn’t the first time Zendaya has been verbally attacked on Twitter. In August, the actress took to social media to call out several Twitter trolls who made demeaning comments about her parents.
“her parents really ugly I really would cry,” one Twitter user wrote.
Zendaya responded to the comment the best way possible. Not only did she describe them as the “most selfless people in the world,” she also commended them for their work as teachers, helping to cultivate and fill “young shallow minds.”
The one and only @Zendaya . Last night was great. #KCAs pic.twitter.com/aZoNtVMGpm
— Anthony Anderson (@anthonyanderson) March 13, 2016
“First I’m gonna pray for you. While you’re so concerned about what my parents look like, please know that these are two of the most selfless people in the world,” she wrote in her heartfelt message. “They have chosen to spend their entire life, not worried about trivial things such as looks and insulting people’s parents on Twitter, but instead became educators who have dedicated their lives to teaching, cultivating and filling young shallow mind. (One of the most important yet underpaid jobs we have).”
“Please, log out, go to school, hug a teacher and read a textbook…and while you’re at it, go look in the mirror and know that you too are beautiful, because such hateful things only stem from internal struggles. Bless you,” she added.
[Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP]