Jess Carter Speaks out and Steps Away From Social Media After Dealing With Awful Situation

Unfortunately, social media isn't a happy place for everyone. Anecdotal experience will tell you that nearly everyone on social media has come across trolls and unkind people who spend their limited time on Earth going after others and making their lives miserable. Bullying, stalking, and harassment are par for the course when engaging on social media.

For celebrities and notable sports figures, this experience is magnified. English soccer star Jess Carter recently spoke out about an awful situation she was forced to endure before stepping away from social media to catch a break. Here's what we know about what happened to Jess, and how this isn't the first time a star has been forced to take a break from social media due to how awful people can be.

While it's heartbreaking, it's not exactly surprising to hear that a soccer player has been the subject of racist comments. Even as far back as 2020, ABC News was reporting on the resurgence of racism among world soccer fans, noting that it painted a disturbing parallel to the rise of certain ideologies in Europe and across the world.

This racism is often leveled at players, but also gets thrown at officials and administrative figures in FIFA and UEFA.

Heartbreakingly, Jess was on the receiving end of just such abuse. She took to Instagram on July 20, 2025, to raise awareness and speak out about what she had endured. In a post, she wrote, "From the start of the tournament I have experienced a lot of racial abuse. Whilst I feel every fan is entitled to their opinion on performance and result, I don't agree or think it's ok to target someone's appearance or race."

She added that as a result of what she endured, she will be stepping back from social media.

Jess thanked her supporters, adding that she hopes speaking out will make "the people writing this abuse think twice so that others won't have to deal with it." She added that she hoped speaking out would "make another positive change for all." From here, she concluded, she will be focusing on her team.

Given what the average person experiences when online, it's hard to imagine just how bad it must have been for Jess, especially given the fact that it made her feel the need to step away.

But sadly, this isn't the first time someone has been bullied off social media.

Star Wars and Raya and the Last Dragon actor Kelly Marie Tran was also bullied off social media.

In 2018, following endless criticism and abuse leveled at her following her controversial role in the most recent Star Wars movies, Kelly stepped away from social media (via Business Insider).

Kelly was starry-eyed and enchanted by her rise to the top of Hollywood's stars only to be met with hate and vitriol as sexist and racist trolls hounded the Vietnamese-American actor relentlessly.

She later looked back on the experience and her eventual decision to leave social media, telling The Hollywood Reporter that it felt like she “fell in love very publicly and then very publicly had an embarrassingly horrible breakup."

The young star added that she ended up having to go to therapy, where she learned, "If someone doesn’t understand me or my experience, it shouldn’t be my place to have to internalize their misogyny or racism or all of the above."

She added, "Maybe they just don’t have the imagination to understand that there are different types of people living in the world" (via THR).

After years away from the vitriol of social media and the pressures of fame, Kelly seems to be thriving.

This offers hope that stars like Jess, forced to prioritize their mental health over the demands of fame, can also come to a place of healing.