"I want to let you all know that I've seen your responses to the misogynistic woman's failed tweet. I'm honestly overjoyed to have the support of so many very, very funny, smart, and kind people," the 47-year-old actress wrote on Monday, July 15, on her X account.
The Last of Us star became the target of an online troll who questioned her credibility in portraying Kathleen Coghlan, a revolutionary leader in a post-apocalyptic American society, on the HBO series.
"American culture has conditioned us to believe you don’t need leadership traits, character, or skills to be a leader," the troll wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday. "You just need to be a minority who feels entitled to such a position and it's granted."
Interestingly, the troll mixed up two of Lynskey’s most popular roles — correctly posting a photo of her in The Last of Us as Coghlan but commenting, “Example: this nonsense from Yellowjackets. No one would follow Melanie Lynskey as a leader.”
Fans quickly responded, calling out the misogynistic implications of the tweet and pointing out the troll's confusion between the two series Lynskey stars in.
"You've already embarrassed yourself enough, but let's move past that. Can you explain how white women are minorities?" one fan replied. "Or how you just looked at a picture of a character and decided it didn’t possess leadership skills if your point isn’t that women just can’t be leaders."
Another fan tweeted, "You have awoken the blood hive," while another noted, "You don’t even know the difference between The Last of Us and Yellowjackets, so take several seats. And I would follow Melanie Lynskey ANYWHERE."
Lynskey herself took to X on Monday to let fans know she had read the offensive post and appreciated their supportive clapback.
"Honestly, my heart breaks a bit for anyone still believing there’s an acceptable way to look to be loved/accepted/respected. I spent many years in that mindset, and it was torture," she wrote.
"It was a revelation when I stopped worrying about my thigh gap and realized how strong I felt," Lynskey continued. "Being able to live as the happiest, healthiest, kindest (to myself and others) and most fully realized version of myself felt like gaining a superpower."
Concluding with "you all are very, very funny, and I really love you," Lynskey urged her fans to “leave this woman alone” and, “if you’re the praying type, say some prayers for her healing and for her heart.”
Lynskey, who is married to and shares a daughter with actor Jason Ritter, has received Emmy nominations for both The Last of Us and Yellowjackets; twice for the latter as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2022 and 2023, and once for the former as Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2023.