Milana Vayntrub has previously spoken out about the online harassment she faced for her portrayal of “Lily Adams,” a store manager, in AT&T ads.
But in a New York Times article today, she revealed that she has received encouragement and support from an unlikely colleague – Stephanie Courtney, who plays the character “Flo” in ads for Progressive Insurance.
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Courtney contacted Vayntrub by phone when the online abuse was at its worst. Courtney was empathetic and Vayntrub recalled that Courtney was a good listener. Talking to her colleague made Vayntrub feel “as if there were people on my team,” she said in the Times story.
In August 2020, Vayntrub posted an Instagram livestream calling for online harassment against her to stop.
Vayntrub emotionally discussed how old photos of her have been manipulated into memes that elicit lewd and vile reactions.
“Maybe it just has to do with being a person on the internet, or maybe it's specific to being a woman on the internet,” Vayntrub said on her livestream. “But all these comments… it hurts my feelings. I am hurt and it brings up a lot of feelings of sexual assault. I just walk my dog and get messages from people who have doctored my pictures to get likes on their accounts.”
Vayntrub, who was an AT&T spokesman from 2013 to 2016, returned in 2020 with a new series of commercials touting work from home and video chatting with iPhones and 5G.
AT&T issued a statement in support of Vayntrub in 2020.
“We will not tolerate the inappropriate comments and harassment from Milana Vayntrub, the talented actress who portrays Lily in our ads. We have disabled or deleted these comments on our social content, which includes Lily, and will continue to fight to support her and our values that value and respect all women.”
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