Fact Check: Is the Rachel Zegler crying apology video real? Viral video debunked amid Snow White controversy

An old video of American actress Rachel Zegler is making rounds on the internet, where she can be seen crying about receiving backlash online. The 22-year-old star has been under the negative limelight ever since she made some controversial comments during the SAG-AFTRA strike and her previously made remarks on the 2024 remake of Disney's live-action of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, where she plays the lead character.

Last week, Zegler was criticized when she appeared in New York City at the SAG-AFTRA picket lines at the writers and actors union against big studios. She said:

"If I'm gonna stand there 18 hours a day in the dress of an iconic Disney princess, I deserve to be paid for every hour that it's streamed online."

Several internet users slammed the actress stating actors get paid more than the other film crew members. This led to internet sleuths digging out other videos where she criticized the original 1937 Snow White. While speaking to Entertainment Tonight, she said that the 90-year-old film was "extremely dated when it comes to the ideas of women being in roles of power."

In a separate interview with ExtraTV, Rachel Zegler said of the 1937 Snow White film:

“There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her....weird, so we didn't do that this time.”

Rachel Zegler added that the new, forthcoming film will focus more on Snow White's journey to "find her true self" than her love story.

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Rachel Zegler's crying apology video is from June 2022

In a surprising turn of events, fans of the beloved classic Snow White are expressing their disappointment and confusion over Rachel Zegler's apparent misinterpretation of the iconic film. Speculation arises as to why she would accept the role if she did not hold a genuine appreciation for the original masterpiece.

Some people think it's "pseudo feminism" to change a well-known Disney Princess into someone who "dreams of becoming the leader she knows she can be." After facing severe backlash online, Zegler released a video blaming what she said was "taken out of context" and she did not want to "seem ungrateful" for her career. However, she added that she was receiving online death threats and trolling.

"That's what I signed up for, isn't it? But I never wanted to come off as me, being ungrateful for the opportunity. When I say that this is been the biggest adjustment of my life, like understanding the way my life operates, now, meaning who I am and the things that I've been so fortunate to make it comes with so much, so much ground that I never thought I would be able to cover. People think I'm doing poorly and other people think i'm doing it gracefully, and I don't think i'm doing well at all."

Rachel Zegler also said that it was hard to "be inside my brain," but she was so incredibly thankful for her new life.

"I can also be having the greatest time and simultaneously wishing people would stop sending me death threats and maybe that's a weird takeaway for this video. I have a life... filled with a lot of beautiful moments and beautiful people... but it's hard. It's lonely. It's very lonely."

Although the viral apology video has been linked to her recent SAG-AFTRA comments, Rachel Zegler has seemingly took to her Twitter handle, urging people to be more kind towards one another.

As of writing, Zegler has not responded to the backlash directly as it could violate the SAG-AFTRA strike rules.