The Tragic Reason Kate Middleton Supporters Are Reminded Of Chadwick Boseman
Catherine, Princess of Wales' cancer diagnosis has social media drawing comparisons to actor Chadwick Boseman, who tragically died from colon cancer in 2020. Boseman's death hit fans hard — and not just because of his lauded, record-breaking performance in "Black Panther." No one outside of Boseman's close circle knew he was dealing with cancer. As tributes poured in for the Marvel star, many celebs revealed they'd had no idea that Boseman had been stricken with such a serious disease. Ryan Coogler, who directed "Black Panther," revealed that even he was in the dark about Boseman's four-year encounter with the disease. "He was sick when I met him," Coogler said during a 2022 Rolling Stone interview. "But looking back on it, it's like, my mans was dying."
While Boseman's death was met with widespread grief and tributes from his fans and peers, his last few months weren't defined by nearly as much empathy and kindness. Prior to the actor's death, photos and videos of Boseman looking considerably thinner garnered critical responses, ranging from theories about drug use to eating disorders. "Chadwick Boseman made a video a few months back looking skinny and a lot of people said he was doing drugs, some others said he was preparing for a movie role, nobody knew he was battling cancer, were all wrong ..." tweeted one user on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Unfortunately, the glaring lack of empathy surrounding Boseman's condition has resurfaced amid Kate Middleton's own cancer diagnosis revelation.
Social media seeks out empathy amid Kate Middleton's diagnosis
Social media went overboard with its speculation about Kate Middleton's so-called disappearance. And while most folks have seen the error of their ways, the conversation about Kate's health update has some drawing comparisons to Chadwick Boseman. Music Publicist Eric Alber tweeted, "Watching what's happening now with Kate Middleton seems like a good reminder that there were hundreds of people on socials who mocked Chadwick Boseman for his weight loss while he was secretly battling colon cancer."
A second user echoed the sentiment. "A lot of people look pretty stupid right now," they said. "This reminds me of when Chadwick Boseman released a video looking frail, and everyone said horrible things about him instead of showing some grace. Kate has cancer, a disease I wish on no one. I hope the world can back off a little and let them deal with this as best they can." They also expressed regret over a previous joke they'd made about Kate's absence from public life and offered prayers.
However, not everyone believes Boseman's situation aligns with the public's obsession over Kate's health, particularly with regard to Kensington Palace inadvertently fueling the speculation with its lack of updates and inefficient PR response. "Please leave Chadwick out of this narrative. The Palace's poorly managed PR led to this mess – all the questions and conspiracies surrounding Kate was a direct result of them fumbling," wrote another user.