Jenna Ortega Reveals Traumatic Encounter with AI-Generated Explicit Images

Jenna Ortega recently opened up about a deeply disturbing experience she had as a teenager involving explicit AI-generated images on social media. On The Interview podcast for The New York Times, the actress discussed how this encounter led her to shut down her Twitter account, which is now known as X.

"I hate AI," Ortega stated emphatically. "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." Ortega's early experiences on social media have left a lasting impact on her, making her very cautious about her online presence.

Ortega also recounted the traumatizing events leading up to her decision to delete her Twitter account. In addition to AI-generated pornographic images, her first direct message on the platform was an unsolicited photo of a man's genitals when she was just 12 years old. This initial shock was merely a prelude to the continual influx of inappropriate and disturbing content she received over the years.

"I used to have that Twitter account and I was told that, 'Oh, you got to do it, you got to build your image,'” Ortega explained. "I ended up deleting it about two, three years ago because the influx after the show [Wednesday] had come out—these absurd images and photos, and I already was in a confused state that I just deleted it." The increasing amount of explicit content following the release of her popular show 'Wednesday' was the final straw for her.

The young actress, known for her roles in 'Wednesday' and 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,' expressed how the explicit, AI-generated photos made her feel bad and uncomfortable. "I deleted it because I couldn't say anything without seeing something like that," she said. The constant exposure to such imagery made her decide to permanently shut down her Twitter account. "One day I just woke up, and I thought, Oh, I don't need this anymore. So I dropped it."

Despite being only 21, Ortega admitted she is still struggling to protect herself in an industry where public scrutiny is part of the job. She has found solace in limiting her phone usage and spending more time outdoors. "I'm always walking," she said. "If you're ever wondering what I'm doing, if my parents are ever wondering, if I'm not at work, or in some sort of meeting, I am outside doing laps. I am in a random garden, I am laying, taking a nap in a field."

The 'Scream VI' actress is also focusing on not being overly self-critical and reminding herself to enjoy her life more. "I'm really working on not being so self-critical or just killing myself over things that in the grand scheme of the world with the news and things you see, it's really just not important at all. I should be having so much fun right now. So much fun! And I don't. And I should. And I try to remind myself of that." Ortega's reflections underline the emotional toll that online harassment can have, even on high-profile figures.