“Nobody Was Laughing”: Valorie Curry Addressed Fans Respecting Her Boundaries After An “Uncomfortable” Encounter With “The Boys” Fan
If you’ve watched The Boys, then chances are you know Valorie Curry. She joined the cast in Season 4 as Misty Tucker Gray, aka Firecracker, an alt-right Supe influencer who goes head-to-head with Annie and ultimately joins forces with Homelander.
Her presence in the latest season of The Boys is chilling, and she gives one of the best performances. Like with Antony Starr’s Homelander, it’s always wildly impressive to see an actor create such a menacing villain that is nothing like their real-life personality.
While Valorie isn’t new to TV — she’s previously starred in shows like The Following, Veronica Mars, The Tick, and more — The Boys has given her worldwide recognition, and with it, there have sadly been some people who need reminding that she is not Firecracker IRL.
This past weekend, Valorie attended Comic-Con in Belfast, where she met fans, took photos, and signed autographs. However, following the first day of the convention, she took to her Instagram Story to share a few words after a few fans made her feel extremely “uncomfortable.”
“Everyone, for the most part, has been so lovely and so kind and so respectful. It’s really been wonderful. But, we do need to talk about boundaries and what is appropriate in terms of behavior,” Valorie began when addressing her followers.
“I know people saw a character that I played do some pretty extreme things on The Boys and… I don’t care if you’re in costume. I don’t care if you’re in character. It’s not okay, and it’s not funny to demand those things from me in person at my booth,” she said.
While Valorie didn’t elaborate on the “extreme things” that these fans asked of her, if you’ve watched the show it could likely refer to some of the more sexually explicit moments that take place in Season 4 between Firecracker and Homelander.
She continued, giving a little more context to what happened, saying, “It’s not okay. And frankly to the person who did that repeatedly today, I made it pretty clear that it wasn’t okay and that only seemed to make this person and their friend angry.”
“I didn’t think this needed to be explained,” Valorie added. “But I was deeply uncomfortable. It was quite clear I was uncomfortable.”
Valorie said she “really” wants to be able to attend fan conventions because she enjoys “getting to meet the fans and talk about the characters [she’s] played.” However, she added, “I’m not going to be able to do this if people are acting this way because it makes me so uncomfortable, and honestly, you should know better.”
Speaking directly about the incident in Belfast that prompted this series of Instagram Stories, Valorie added, “Again, I don’t know what reaction you were looking for. Nobody was laughing.”
Valorie thanked everyone she met or got to see again at Comic Con Northern Ireland, saying, “Everyone who is so respectful and kind and would never dream of…acting this way.”
She concluded, saying, “If you think it’s going to be funny or you think it’s going to be a bit or a moment, it’s not. And it’s, honestly, just going to make me feel bad. So please think about that before coming up to talk to me. Please just think about what’s appropriate and what’s professional and kind.”
Valorie isn’t the only The Boys star who has addressed horrible fans. In 2022, Erin Moriarty, who stars as Annie/Starlight, addressed the “silenced” and “dehumanizing” sexualized commentary she has gotten online. She said, “This does break my heart — I’ve opened up a vein for this role, and misogynistic trolling is exactly what this role (Annie) would speak out against.”
Valorie is also one of many celebs who have recently spoken up about boundaries with fans, including Chappell Roan and Sophia Bush. Personally, I don’t know why we need these reminders, but let’s be very clear: just because an actor plays a character on a TV show that you watch does not give you the right to demand things from them.