Entertainment

Mandy Moore Slams Photog Who Tried Following Her And Son August

by Erica Gerald Mason
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

Mandy Moore speaks out after a photographer followed her and her 9-month-old son during a walk

Don’t ever mess with a mama bear. That’s true in the animal kingdom, and especially true for us humans. One paparazzi is in the “find out” stage after intruding on the private life of Mandy Moore. The This Is Us star took to social media with an extremely specific message for a very rude photographer who tried to get snapshots of the mama and her kiddo.

After the photog interrupted her hike with son August, Moore posted on her Insta Stories: “To the paparazzi dude who just tried to join me and my son on our walk for the second Sunday in a row you can kindly f–k off.”

Moore continued: “Same dude that harassed Taylor and I when I was 10 months pregnant and Jackson was in the hospital fighting for his life.”

The actress was referring to her beloved dog’s cancer battle. Moore continued the post with a plea for privacy. “I know my line of work puts me in a position for this kind of stuff but go find someone who courts it, ya know? We live in a quiet part of town for a reason. You weren’t invited to tag along on my day.”

Moore went on to say she wasn’t the only one frustrated about the encounter. In the next story, Moore posted a picture of her dog, who was grumpy about the brief walk. “This guy was bummed we only got a block away only to turn around.”

Moore, who is protective of son Gus out in public, isn’t shy about sharing her baby boy’s face—and her breast-pumping hiking updates—on her own terms. As Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have mentioned in their own pleas for privacy, asking for space doesn’t mean the public will never see their kiddos’ faces. It means that as parents, they get to decide who sees their baby, not some random photographer looking to make rent.

Case in point: over the holiday weekend, Moore posted an adorable video of Gus.

“Hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving with loved ones,” she wrote next to the video. “(and that your meal was better received than Gus’s reaction to cranberries.” In the cheeky video, Taylor gives their son a mouthful of cranberries. After tasting the tart berry, Gus makes a classic baby face that says more than words ever could, before bursting into an adorable fit of giggles.

Moore deserves the right to share photos and video of her son on her own terms. She also deserves privacy and safety for her child while out in public. Hopefully, this photog is taking notes.