Bad Bunny's Reason for Tossing Fan's Phone Into Water Divides Internet

Bad Bunny has divided fans after explaining his reason for throwing a woman's phone into a body of water after she attempted to take a selfie with him.

In a clip that has gone viral across social media, the musician, 28, was shown walking along a waterfront road in Dominican Republic surrounded by what appeared to be his entourage and a small group of excited fans.

As one woman took footage of herself while walking beside Bad Bunny, the rapper—whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio—grabbed her phone and tossed it across the street and into the water as he continued to stroll.

The woman in question appeared to be shocked, while others were heard exclaiming "wow" in reaction to the gesture. The star then appeared to be explaining himself to the people surrounding him before the 30-second clip ended.

With one of the clips garnering more than 8 million views on Twitter, the incident became a talking point on social media, prompting Bad Bunny to explain himself.

Writing in Spanish, the Puerto Rican hitmaker stated in a Twitter post that the phone was tossed because he felt he was shown a "lack of respect."

"The person who comes up to me to say hello, to tell me something, or just to meet me, will always receive my attention and respect," Bad Bunny said.

"Those who come to put a phone in my face I will consider it for what it is, a lack of respect, and I will treat it likewise," the star added.

The post, which has garnered more than 300,000 likes, sparked a debate among fans, a number of whom argued that he was right to have behaved as he did.

"I stand by him [...] you losers mad in the comments need to understand that celebs are not ur besties," tweeted one supporter, "they don't know you and don't owe you anything especially when you start getting all up in their face."

Another wrote that Bad Bunny "did what he had to do," illustrating their statement with a GIF of DJ Khaled striking a playful pose on jet-skis.

"Let's not forget artists are people and not just for the public's consumption," tweeted another.

However, a number of others were critical of Bad Bunny, with some fans saying that they were set to unfollow him on Twitter.

"Anyone justifying Bad Bunny throwing someone's phone, their property that they paid with their money, into the water because 'personal space' can kindly f*** off," wrote one detractor. "I'm so tired of these celebrities, man."

Another jokingly shared an image of an "anti Bad Bunny case," showing a smartphone attached to a wrist and worn around a neck via a lanyard.

An accompanying caption, written in Spanish, read: "Tired of Bad Bunny throwing your cell phone whenever you approach to take a selfie with him? Buy this Bad Bunny anti-fury accessory and show him who's in charge."

In an apparent attempt to counter Bad Bunny's stance on defending his personal space, another shared images showing the musician kissing and getting close to female fans.

Grammy winner Bad Bunny was in December named Spotify's most-streamed artist in the world for the third consecutive year.

However, in an interview with Billboard, which was published in December, the recording artist said that he plans to take a break from music to allow him some time to "enjoy [his] achievements."

When asked about his plans for the new year, he said: "I'm taking a break. 2023 is for me, for my physical health, my emotional health to breathe, enjoy my achievements. We're going to celebrate.

"Let's go here, let's go there, let's go on the boat. I have a couple of sporadic commitments, and I'll go to the studio, but there's no pressure."