Season 4 of The Traitors is heating up on our screens, but the showrunners want to bring the temperature down online.
Social media has been lighting up with conversations about the show, the gameplay, and its controversial cast. That’s expected. What isn’t expected is how toxic things have become over the last few weeks, and they don’t want the online negativity to ruin this beloved show.
Peacock and The Traitors are asking fans to be kind to the Season 4 cast
The team behind The Traitors shared a statement on their social media accounts on Saturday, January 24, urging fans to keep discourse about the show civil.
“We are committed to making our casts feel safe, respected, and supported—on screen and off,” read the statement. “The cast of The Traitors are real people, and what happens in the game should never lead to cyberbullying or harassment. There’s a difference between discussing a show and targeting individuals.”
“Let’s not ruin the passion for this show with unwarranted negativity and personal attacks,” the statement added. “We appreciate your support.”
The statement comes amid escalated conversations about the cast, specifically The Bachelor alum Colton Underwood. He’s been under increased scrutiny online, as fans revisit his problematic past. His on-screen rival, Lisa Rinna, added fuel to the fire by calling him a “stalker” in a social media post.
Meanwhile, Ron Funches opened up on social media about how The Traitors fandom helped him uncover a potential autism diagnosis. Shortly after making that announcement, he accused Dordina Medley of saying “terrible things” about him while filming the show, which never made it to air.
Of course, there’s also Michael Rapaport, who fanned the flames of homophobia at the roundtable. That opened the door to a fresh round of criticism. Michael reacted by continuing to mock the LGBTQ+ community online.
Clearly, there’s a lot of negativity surrounding this season and its cast. Peacock, however, wants the fans to remain focused on the positive.
The Traitors streams on Peacock with new episodes dropping on Thursdays at 9/8c.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK THIS STATEMENT WILL HELP REEL IN SOME OF THE ONLINE NEGATIVITY?
