‘Umbrella Academy’ teen on the hate he gets
Aidan Gallagher
Aidan Gallagher, one of the stars of Netflix’s hit series “The Umbrella Academy,” isn’t like most teenagers his age—he retweets political and environmental news, and he’s serious about it.
The 15-year-old actor is a United Nations Environment Goodwill Ambassador for North America, as well as a
vegan.
He recently posted an Instagram story about the hate he sometimes gets. “Teens say there’s nothing I can do because I have no vote,” wrote Gallagher, who was in the Nickelodeon comedy series “Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn” for four seasons. “The truth is, the only vote that matters is how you spend your money and who you give it to. Each coin is giving power. Notice and be careful who you give your power to.”
The actor, who plays ex-superhero Number 5 in “Umbrella Academy,” added in a succeeding post, “Billions are spent in advertising every year to make you think horrible things are good for you and to get your money for things that will kill you,” Gallagher said. “The examples are endless.”
More recently, he wrote, “I get a lot of hate posting vegan, environment and pollution stuff. I sincerely apologize to anyone who’s offended.”
The teen, who’s also a singer-musician, added: “It makes me happy to serve the planet [as a UN ambassador] even though it costs me dearly in popularity … I’m not coming to take away your meat. I don’t judge you or my friends.”—OLIVER PULUMBARIT
