On Wednesday, August 15, Crystal Chappell (Danielle, “The Bold and the Beautiful”) published a new blog post on the “Venice: The Series” website. Her post was in regards to a tweet by former “Days of our Lives” co-star Melissa Reeves (Jennifer Horton) that caused controversy within the daytime community.
“Chick-fil-a today!!!! Loved every bite of it;)!! Land of the free and home of the brave. Love that we all appreciate free speech, right?” said Reeves in her tweet to her followers on Tuesday, August 1.
In response to Reeves, Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis, “General Hospital”) said on Twitter, “I’m all for 1st Am rights, but when you buy Chick Fil A, your $$ are going to fund hate groups that are actively attacking gay rights.”
Greg Rikaart (Kevin Fisher, “The Young and the Restless”) got personal via a posting on the Huffington Post. “I posted a tweet airing my disappointment in Melissa Reeves (another member of the daytime community) for aligning herself with this company [Chic-fil-A] that financially supports the furthering of hatred and bigotry. I did so because I have aligned myself with organizations like GLSEN (the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network) and the HRC (Human Rights Campaign) and I have read too many stories of alienated LGBT kids taking their lives after relentless persecution,” Rikaart said. “Whether grown up bullies like Dan Cathy and Melissa Reeves realize it or not, they are directly or indirectly telling these vulnerable kids that there is something wrong with them, or they are somehow less than. Nothing could be further from the truth. I’m certain of it,” he continued.
Since the controversy began, Reeves has not publicly spoken on the issue. According to Chappell, however, the actress has told mutual fiends that the implication of her tweet was “not what she intended.” Chappell added, “She said she saw half a tweet about Cluck Filet and thought she was supporting Free Speech. Nothing more. I thought…OK. Um….twitter fuck up? I’ve stepped into twitter convoys without really knowing what was being talked about and made a mess for myself unintentionally. Realizing after I stepped into it that I don’t at all support the person’s words I stood up for. OK….it happens. And then I asked our gay and married friends…well, why not just say that to the folks in twitter land? Was someone telling her not to? Is it work related? Ostrich in the sand syndrome? If I don’t see it, it doesn’t exist kind of thing? Blonde moment? The more time went by the more frustrated I and my friends became. It started to hurt. We all know Missy has very strong religious beliefs but the person we know and love….is NOT a bigot.”
Chappell stated that she has personally reached out to Reeves regarding the issue, and that Reeves has “decided to not speak out and hope that the people who know her will trust that she didn’t intend to support an anti-gay corporation.” The creator of “Venice” and new series “The Grove: The Series” also says, “I firmly believe she should speak…not only for the fans but for her friends.”
Responding to Rikaart’s Huffington Post article, Chappell says, “I thought it was eloquent and spot on…with the exception of calling Melissa Reeves a bully.”
To read Chappell’s full blog post on the matter, click here.