Zac Efron Doesn’t Owe You His Personal Life — Actor Faces Backlash For Becoming Increasingly Private
Do fans deserve more from these celebs?
FeatureFlash Photo Agency / Shutterstock In a recent post by the gossip account DeuxMoi about Zac Efron’s internet presence, a fan complained that the star is too private online.
Sharing it with their millions of followers, the gossip account inadvertently sparked a debate about what responsibility Efron has, if any, to share his life with his fans.
Zac Efron's choice to become increasingly private isn't sitting well with his fans.
Although celebrities agreed to step into the spotlight when they took the job, it's important to remember that they are still human beings who deserve some privacy and owe fans nothing.
After being thrust into the limelight when he played the role of the dreamy basketball player Troy in “High School Musical” in 2006, an 18-year-old Efron became one of the most famous stars of a generation.
After basking in the Disney film's fame, he’s gone on to do comedy, action, and other more demanding roles over the years.
Notably, however, the now 34-year-old doesn’t seem to be online as much as he used to, causing some fans to feel sadness over the distance.
In a recent submission to the popular gossip site Deuxmoi, a fan said that if Efron was online more then fans wouldn’t be so crazy.
“I don’t get why he can’t just give us a little bit! I think the more open he is, the less crazy the fandom will become eventually!!” the anonymous source wrote in.
This concept falls under what the internet calls: a parasocial relationship.
Parasocial relationships are one-sided relationships in which one person feels that they are entitled to a level of intimacy because of the amount of content they consume from the other person, who isn't even aware of their existence.
Just because you are a fan of someone, doesn't mean they owe you anything.
The submission comes after DeuxMoi was a guest on Arielle Lorre’s The Blonde Files Podcast where they discussed more theories on Efron’s possible plastic surgery.
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People shared their thoughts on the submission in DeuxMoi’s Reddit thread.
“If someone submitted this to her about Harry Styles she would’ve had a seething meltdown. That being said… There is no such thing as an unproblematic celebrity," one user wrote.
"They’re just regular people. Nobody is perfect. Anyways, Efron is a good egg in this sh---y industry and that is a personal testament from all I heard from people I know.
"People need to back up and take a breather like you’re not entitled to somebody just because they’re a celeb, wtf."
Zac Efron's retreat from public life came after he was bullied online over his appearance.
Efron recently revealed that the reason his jaw looks different than it used to is because of an injury that left his jaw shattered.
During an interview with Men's Health, he revealed that during his recovery from the injury in physical therapy, his jaw grew misshapen.
"The masseters just grew,” he said, shrugging during the interview. “They just got really, really big.”
The presence of these kinds of online rumors and parasocial relationships is part of the reason why he tries to stay away from social media.
“If I valued what other people thought of me to the extent that they may think I do,” he said, “I definitely wouldn’t be able to do this work.”
In an interview with Access Hollywood, Efron said he stays away from the internet for the betterment of his mental health.
“I check my email but other than that I don’t really use the internet. It’s all just white noise. I try to keep close to my family and my good friends,” he said.
He further elaborated on perhaps why he isn’t online in an interview with Entertainment Tonight to promote his new movie “The Greatest Beer Run Ever.”
“I don’t really read the internet, I don’t really give a f–-k,” he said.
He claimed that it got to the point where even his own mother was asking him about the rumors, and he wanted to put an end to it.
But still, with Efron speaking out against the rumors people still are contemplating if he’s telling the truth or not and feel they’re owed an explanation.
Victoria Soliz is a writer with YourTango who covers news and entertainment content. Her work explores pop culture trends, film and TV, and celebrity news