On The New York Times‘ podcast The Interview, Jenna Ortega didn’t mince words about her feelings towards AI. “I hate AI,” she stated bluntly. While acknowledging its potential for good, particularly in medicine, Ortega shared her unsettling experiences with the technology.
Jenna Ortega, known for her roles in horror shows like Wednesday and movies such as Scream and X, has always been drawn to the spooky side of entertainment. However, the young actress has faced a different kind of fear since becoming famous as a child star on the Disney Channel – one that stems from artificial intelligence.
“Did I like being 14 and making a Twitter account because I was supposed to and seeing dirty edited content of me as a child? No. It’s terrifying. It’s corrupt. It’s wrong. It’s disgusting,” Ortega revealed, highlighting the dark side of AI in social media.
The actress, who starred in Disney’s Stuck in the Middle in 2016, disclosed that she encountered explicit content when she joined social media platforms. Her first experience was shocking and inappropriate for her age.
“The first [direct message] I ever opened myself when I was 12 was an unsolicited photo of a man’s genitals. And that was just the beginning of what was to come,” she shared. Even more disturbing, Ortega mentioned receiving AI-generated child pornography of herself.
The pressure to maintain an online presence for career reasons led to more unpleasant experiences. “I used to have that Twitter account and I was told that, ‘Oh, you got to do it, you got to build your image.’ I ended up deleting it about two to three years ago because the influx after the show [Wednesday] had come out, of these absurd images and photos, which is so repulsive, and I already was in a confused state that I just deleted it because it was unnecessary, and I didn’t need that.”
Ortega’s role as Wednesday Addams in the Netflix series Wednesday, a spinoff from the classic The Addams Family, catapulted her to new levels of fame. The show’s popularity, particularly a viral dance scene featuring Ortega, intensified her online presence.
Now 21, Ortega reflected on her past use of Twitter (now X) for sharing political and personal views. However, the onslaught of disturbing content eventually led her to abandon the platform.
“And then I was grated with this stuff and it’s just disgusting,” she explained, adding that the content made her feel “bad” and “uncomfortable.”
Ortega’s experiences shed light on the darker aspects of fame and technology, especially for young stars in the digital age.
“I deleted it because I couldn’t post without seeing such content. I didn’t need that daily exposure. One day, I just woke up and thought, ‘I don’t need this anymore.’ So I let it go,” Ortega explained.
Ortega mentions she’s learning self-protection strategies. She still maintains an Instagram account.
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