Florence Pugh Fan Attack Sparks Outrage

Fans of actor Florence Pugh have been left outraged after she was hit in the face by an object thrown at her while she was attending Brazil's CCXP 2023 on Sunday.

Social media footage shows the 27-year-old standing alongside her Dune: Part Two co-stars Timothée Chalamet, Austin Butler and Zendaya, for a panel discussion talking about the sequel at the Comic-Con event. The film follows the events of Dune, which is set in the far distant future, in a post-artificial intelligence universe.

As the actors stood with writer-director Denis Villeneuve for a photo, an unknown object was thrown onto the stage from the audience. It struck Pugh in the face, narrowly missing her eye, before she winced and reached to grab the object. Her co-stars were also shocked by what transpired and checked to see if she was OK.

Newsweek reached out to Pugh's publicist for comment via email Monday.

As footage of the incident circulated online, fans expressed their disgust at something being thrown at the star.

"Florence Pugh was hit in the face by a flying object during #CCXP23," entertainment news account Pop Crave wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

"So when are we going to handle that throwing things at Florence Pugh issue?? Because we ain't having that. Not now. Not never," one person wrote.

"Florence Pugh could've lost her eye. Wtf is wrong with people," said another.

"I'm so [sad] about that how people can even think about doing this. I'm so sad she had to leave because of this. I hope she's okay. First Taylor now Florence always something bad in Brazil," said a third.

A fourth added: " Wtf is wrong with people throwing stuff at Florence Pugh."

"Me to the person who threw that at Florence Pugh!" said another.

The incident has marked the latest in a disturbing trend of celebrities being hit with an object while on stage, joining the likes of Pink, Bebe Rexha, Harry Styles and Cardi B.

Harry Styles was hit in the eye by a piece of candy while performing in Sweden in November 2022 and in June this year, he was hit in the face by an object thrown from the crowd during a show in Vienna. Pink didn't know how to react after someone seemingly threw human ashes at her during a gig in London in the same month and Cardi B fought back in July when she hurled a microphone into the audience after someone threw a drink at her.

Examples don't end there, as a 27-year-old man was charged with assaulting pop star Rexha in New York in June after he allegedly threw his phone at her on stage. She canceled the show and later revealed the extent of her injuries on Instagram.

Nicolas Malvagna reportedly confessed to officers at the scene to throwing the phone, telling police officers: "I was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny."

Taylor Swift recently addressed the worrying trend while she was on stage during her Buenos Aires concert on November 12 when she asked fans to stop throwing things. During the "Evermore" part of her Eras Tour set, Swift paused to address the crowd after a present landed near her on stage. A video of the moment was posted to X by user @swifferupdates.

"And just because communication means having gentle healthy boundaries, it really freaks me out when stuff gets thrown on the stage," she said while sitting at her piano. "Because if it's on the stage then a dancer can trip on it and I love that you brought presents and that is so nice, but just can you please not throw them on the stage. I love you so much!"

Musician Charlie Puth told his fans on Twitter: "This trend of throwing things at performers while they are on stage must come to an end," adding that "it's disrespectful and very dangerous."

Frank Salzano, managing partner of Salzano Ettinger Lampert & Wilson, LLP, a boutique entertainment and sports law firm based in Manhattan, believes the rise in these incidents involving celebrities can be attributed to the close "access" fans feel like they have nowadays.

"Fans have 24/7 connectivity with their favorite celebrities through social media platforms, which is the driving force behind this phenomenon," he previously told Newsweek. "This 'access' results in fans having a false belief that they have a right to act out as they see fit, often crossing a clear line of decency, including in some instances rising to criminal behavior. These acts of violence will likely result in heightened security and more restrictive rules during concerts."

Psychiatrist Carole Lieberman, M.D., previously told Newsweek that for some fans, it reaches a point where it becomes unhealthy for them to support a celebrity.

"If it starts becoming an obsession, either watching them or communicating with them on social media—to the detriment of your relationships with family and friends, or your work and your own hobbies or pursuit of a dream, then it's time to let go," she said.