After Chrissy Teigen and John Legend shared their pregnancy loss on social media, they were greeted with an outpouring of love and support — but there was also plenty of negative commentary from social media users who accused them of oversharing or seeking attention.
Zelda Williams, daughter of the late comedian and actor Robin Williams, took to social media early Thursday morning to defend the couple and their decision to grieve publicly.
"However someone chooses to grieve, publicly or privately, is VALID," she wrote. "Grief will fill a room if you let it, and spill out of every window and door. Let people grieve however they choose, not however you believe they should, and hope the world returns the favor for you one day."
Later, she added that she had seen a "downpour of crap opinions today."
"So many they’ve begun to pool in little valleys of contempt, dark lakes where the writers wade knee deep in the standing water & say ‘I’m entitled to them!’" she wrote. "They’re joined by others, who seem to enjoy growing mean & moldy together."
Williams has been outspoken about her own feelings of grief following her father's death by suicide, saying that some around her found her method of grieving unusual.
"I just kept going, 'OK, well today I'm going to wake up and love what I do. And then tomorrow I'm going to wake up and be happy and love what I do. And then the next day,'" she said in a 2016 interview with Chelsea Handler. "Because that's all you can do. ... It was very fun because for a while, no one would let me do anything. I think there's that reaction of like, 'Oh s—t, are you OK?' And then even if you are OK, they're like 'Well, what's wrong? And so for a while, I was just kind of left to my own devices."
Despite negative commentary about Teigen's public discussion of her pregnancy loss, many have thanked the model and cook book author for how openly she spoke about a topic that's still taboo to many.
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"I’m so deeply sorry for your immeasurable loss," wrote Busy Phillips. "In awe of your bravery and selflessness in sharing as you have, which is going to help so many women and families. Sending you and your family all the love and light while you grieve."
"Brooklyn 99" star Melissa Fumero commented that Teigen had "made so many women feel seen by sharing this intimate grief."
"Thank you for being so strong and so open," Fumero added.
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Other social media users chimed in with their own stories of pregnancy loss and stigma.
Erica McAfee, who hosts the “Sisters in Loss” podcast, told TODAY on Thursday that since many are used to hiding painful experiences, openness like Teigen's can create a negative response.
“When somebody is brave enough to share openly, it makes some people uncomfortable and that can bring out a nastiness,” McAfee explained. "Anyone who thinks she's screaming for attention has never known the pain of losing a baby."