Seeing a celebrity’s name trending on social media often means one of two things: death or controversy. So, upon seeing the term “Jesse Williams” ranking high on Twitter, one may have assumed the worst: either the former Grey’s Anatomy star has become embroiled in something truly unsavoury, or he’s met a tragic, untimely end. Fortunately, the 40-year-old actor is alive and well. But the reason behind the sudden interest in his name is a delicate issue nonetheless.
Williams is currently making his Broadway debut in Richard Greenberg’s play Take Me Out, portraying a baseball player who comes out as gay. Late on Monday, illicit fan footage from a performance was posted on social media, showing Williams fully nude while facing the audience. Though only seconds long, the video – and subsequent screenshots taken from it – have gone viral, with people wasting no time in making a slew of seedy jokes and remarks about Jesse’s “anatomy”. Some UK fans have even crudely enquired about whether the play will get a West End transfer once its run concludes in New York, specifically to catch this moment for themselves. Of course, these comments are for humorous purposes, without meaning to cause harm. But the act of filming Williams’s nude scene is an example of a dangerous violation of a performer’s rights.
