Even celebrities aren’t exempt from school bullying. Such was the case with “Friday” songbird Rebecca Black, whose cheesy tune hit airwaves earlier this year and was quickly declared the “worst song ever” by many.
Speaking to ABC’s Nightline, the 14-year-old Los Angeles native said she faced so much teasing and harassment this past spring that her parents resorted to homeschooling.
“When I walk by they’ll start singing ‘Friday’ in a really nasally voice,” Black told the network. “Or, you know, they’ll be like, ‘Oh hey, Rebecca, guess what day it is?'”
Black’s mom Georgina Marquez, a teacher, agreed to take the teenager out of school because of the mean students. Additionally, Marquez didn’t want the taunting to distract Black from singing.
“She certainly did not need that kind of pressure,” Marquez said.
School bullying wasn’t the recording artist’s first encounter with malice, as the Golden State resident endured online harassment and even death threats after the release of her wildly unpopular song.
When YouTube users blasted Black’s cheesy lyrics, the young songstress said, “Those hurtful comments really shocked me … At times, it feels like I’m being cyber-bullied.” (‘Friday’ singer Rebecca Black feels cyber-bullied)
But the worst was yet to come for the brunette, who became the subject of erroneous pregnancy rumors at the beginning of the summer. In May, CNN.com’s iReport posted an article stating the then 13-year-old was expecting a child, including a doctored picture of Black holding a sign announcing the big news.
As to be expected, the pregnancy buzz upset Black.
“Waking up to a rumor that you’re pregnant is not fun,” the teen explained to ABC. “It’s just frustrating, because I mean, I’m still, like, excited over my first kiss.”
Luckily for Black, fellow pop sensations Katy Perry and Lady Gaga are on her side. This year, Perry paid an homage to “Friday” by inviting the fellow California girl to appear in the 26-year-old’s music video for “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.).”
When Black continued to endure unkind comments from haters, Lady Gaga stepped up to the novice performer’s defense, “I say Rebecca Black is a genius, and anyone that says she is cheesy is full of s**t,” she said during the Musicians@Google event this past March.