“Please don’t say anything negative to or about them,” she said of the fans in the video.

Gillian Anderson responds to backlash after telling fans not to sit in front row of West End show

“Please don’t say anything negative to or about them,” she said of the fans in the video.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

EW's editorial guidelines

October 4, 2026 2:01 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Gillian Anderson on July 29, 2026. Credit:

Maya Dehlin/WireImage

- Gillian Anderson went viral for scolding “disruptive” fans who attended her West End show.

- “You can’t come 20 times and sit in the front row,” she was heard telling fans in a fan-recorded video.

- In a Sunday statement, Anderson clarified the tense exchange and asked fans not to attack the women in the video.

Gillian Anderson is clearing the air about her tense exchange with a group of “distracting” superfans.

The *X-Files* actress recently confronted fans at the stage door of her West End production of *Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?*, where she asked them to stop repeatedly buying tickets for the show’s front row. The exchange soon sparked an online debate, and now Anderson is addressing the backlash.

“Hi everyone, just to say — the video doing the rounds is me talking with women I go back over 20 years with,” Anderson wrote in a Sunday, Oct. 4, X post. “Please don’t say anything negative to or about them.”

She continued, “We’re thrilled to be doing this show, but for people in the front row, please be aware that in such an intimate venue, we can all see you. Sometimes, it can be a tad distracting! That’s all. All good.”

She concluded, “On with the show and love to everyone and thank you to all of those coming.”

The original video saw Anderson pausing outside the Soho Place Theatre at the stage door, where stars often interact with fans and sign autographs.

Gillian Anderson on August 14, 2026.

John Phillips/Getty

“You guys cannot sit in the front row,” Anderson could be heard saying to a group of women not captured on camera. “I don’t care, you cannot sit in the front row. It’s so distracting.”

Though Anderson initially appeared serious, she laughed and began signing autographs as she added, “You can’t come 20 times and sit in the front row.”

The fans, who remained off camera, could be heard saying “I know” and “I’m sorry.”

The video quickly began making the rounds on social media, sparking debate about Anderson’s comments and whether or not her request was fair.

One X user defended Anderson, writing, “It gets to a point that if you recognize someone repeatedly everywhere you go, it raises a red flag that’s impossible to ignore. You don’t know just how crazed the crazed fans can be. She’s setting a boundary that it makes her uncomfortable.”

Gillian Anderson comes out as pansexual, recalls early relationships with women

Gillian Anderson confirms 'X-Files' car crash was real, reveals other accident in same scene

Another agreed, adding, “How difficult it must have been for Gillian to perform and stay in character while she is so uncomfortable due to someone’s presence… It’s actively making it worse for the rest of the audience because everyone gets a poor show due to one person’s behavior.”

But others argued in defense of the fans, writing that they did not mean any harm.

“This is weird on Gillian’s part,” one user argued. “They’re allowed to want to see her in a play & sit where they want.”

Gillian Anderson and Billy Crudup in ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf’.

Sonia Friedman Productions

Anderson is hardly the first stage actor to complain about inappropriate behavior amongst superfan audience members.

Earlier this year, *The Pitt* star Isa Briones used Instagram to repeatedly scold fans of the show for being disruptive during performances of Broadway’s *Just In Time*, which saw her portray ’50s starlet Connie Francis.

“Broadway is not a circus. Do not yell whatever you want at the performers,” Briones wrote in May. “Yelling ‘when are you going to finish your charts’ before I sing ‘Who’s Sorry Now?’ is f---ing disrespectful to the performers onstage and your fellow audience members. Y’all are pissin’ me off.”

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter******.***

The West End production of *Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? *premiered on Sept. 30 to primarily rave reviews. The revival of Edward Albee’s acclaimed play sees Anderson star as Martha, opposite Billy Crudup‘s George.

Crudup recently sang her praises during an interview with What’s On Stage, sharing, “She’s as professional as you will have out there, and I just felt like I was with a colleague whose someone I would like to work like and want to work with. You collaborate in that way. We speak a very similar language and we both are dedicated to trying to present this play as envisioned by Marianne Elliott.”

- Celebrities & Creators

- Celebrity Feuds & Controversies

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Celebrity”