Former Disney Channel star Bella Thorne revealed that the backlash and accusations of wrongdoing she faced after releasing her own nude photos in 2019 were more damaging than the blackmail attempt itself. Thorne, 28, appeared on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast to discuss the 2019 incident where she preemptively leaked intimate photos to thwart an alleged blackmailer.
Thorne explained that she chose to release the images herself to regain control of the narrative before the blackmailer could. "I just did an honest Twitter post," Thorne recalled. "I just kind of set it out as … you’re not gonna keep taking this from me, so here it is."
However, the decision led to widespread victim-blaming, with many accusing her of faking the incident or seeking attention. Thorne stated that these accusations "really, really broke" her, recounting filming an Instagram story in a state of distress. "And you know, I think the worst part of that was people saying, ‘Well, you did this. You are faking it. You just wanna show us your t—. You want us so badly to see your private parts that that’s why you’re doing it. You want it.’ And that, to me, like, really broke me then. That like, really, really broke me,"
The ordeal took an unexpected turn when the FBI contacted Thorne. Agents visited her home, investigating the blackmail attempt. "And then I get like a call one day, and it’s the FBI. And they’re like, ‘Hey, you know, we’ve seen this thing. We think it’s our guy and, like, can we come over? Can we get all the data? Can we see what this is?’ And they came over to my house,"
Thorne cooperated with the FBI for over a year, providing data that ultimately helped investigators identify the suspect. She believes her decision to release the screenshots was crucial to the investigation. "So, if I had not posted those screenshots … they wouldn’t have caught him," she said. "Or maybe they would’ve caught him later, but they wouldn’t have had that direct source."
The suspect was identified by matching his writing style to the screenshots Thorne had shared. "And that’s how they knew is because of the screenshots," Thorne added. "Because it’s his exact writing, and they’re like, ‘This is his MO. It’s the same guy, it has to be.'"