Gracie Abrams Responds To The "So I Blocked Gracie Abrams" Meme

There are a lot of ways into the world of Gracie Abrams. Maybe you’re a Swiftie who discovered her as an Eras Tour opener and Taylor Swift collaborator. Maybe her relationship with Paul Mescal piqued your interest. Maybe you wanted to see how the daughter of the guy who made Lost and Alias became a pop star. But if you’re chronically online, then you’ve probably heard her name the most as the internet’s favorite person to block.

For the past few years, it’s been a trend for pop music stan accounts to joke about blocking Abrams on social media anytime something bad happens. It became such a widespread phenomenon, that the phrase “so I blocked Gracie Abrams” has achieved meme status. Abrams herself finally spoke about the shady meme during her June 25 appearance on The New York Times’ Popcast podcast.

“I'm like, 'Go crazy,’” Abrams replied. “I understand the tone of the internet; I'm on it too, sometimes. It is funny when it overwhelms the things you want to see, and because my name is my name, your algorithm is naturally being like... you're being force-fed. And there are some days where I am laughing just as hard as the person posting it, and there's other times where, like, we're all people — that can't feel good. There's just abject cruelty floating, and I think when people decide to cash in on that, I worry for their hearts.”

The singer said that she tries to have some empathy for anyone who posts hateful things about her online. “I feel support when I'm playing a show, or when I'm with my friends. I have a suspicion that people who either enjoy or just spend their time that way on the internet, the likelihood of them not getting support elsewhere is quite high,” Abrams said “And also, with lots of criticism, I've had that thought but 10 times worse about myself already.”

She also understands that getting roasted on social media is par for the course as a buzzy pop star. “That will never stop happening, and if I'm lucky enough to continue gathering new listeners, I will also be gathering more of the other side of it. That's inevitable,” Abrams said. “So, the mental discipline of not being surprised by that is important. And I also think, forget the personal trolling, I just don't feel better or more interesting when I spend time reading anything on the internet ... I'm not learning more than I am when I'm phone-down, out in the world. It really does feel like a sickness, and I don't think people like that feeling. So I am anticipating all of it, and I can't control it.”