Stephanie Tyler Jones, the model behind the face of Mary Jane Watson in Marvel’s Spider-Man belong to Insomniac, recently said she has received harassment from fans, including phone calls to her workplace demanding to speak to her. In a public post on social media, she asked these fans to stop.
In the game series MarvelInsomniac’s Spider-Man, including 2 main games and 1 side story, Jones is the person who provides the face model for Peter Parker’s famous girlfriend, MJ. Besides Laura Bailey, the voice actress for MJ, it was Jones’ face that inspired the character’s in-game model. Thanks to that, Jones became famous in the industry Spider-Man community. But recently, according to Jones, some fans have gone too far and made her feel “unsafe” and “uncomfortable.”
On January 8, Jones posted a short public letter on Instagram detailing what happened and asking fans to respect her boundaries and stop messaging her about MJ and Spider -Man.
“Over the weekend, some followers crossed the line,” Jones said. “One person even called my workplace and left multiple voicemails, wanting to talk to me and asking me to call back, this is unacceptable and is considered stalking..”
While Jones “appreciates” the positive response her version of MJ has received from players over the years, she is no longer acting or modeling. Instead, Jones now works in the skin care industry, which is why she asked fans to respect her career change and not message Instagram or call the company.
“My skin care page is not for my fans Spiderman or MJ,” Jones posted. “The climax of the incident was that this morning I went to work and immediately felt unsafe and uncomfortable when listening to those voice messages.”
Jones ended the letter asking fans and players “Respect that I’m a human being trying to make a living just like you guys” and asked them to “please” stop texting her.
“Messages will not be answered,” Jones said. “I will block you if you make me feel uncomfortable, and you can unfollow me if this upsets you.”
While what happened to Jones is terrible and reprehensible, it sadly happens quite often in the video game community and fandom. Players have repeatedly sent harassing and threatening messages to developers, voice actors, and others simply because they don’t like a game or a character. In Vietnam, some famous figures in the community, such as Do Mixi, were also bothered by fans coming to his house, forcing him to publicly express his concern for his family and himself.
Do Mixi once had to call and confront the donor who insulted his wife and children
Keep your love behind the screen. Don’t let it become a threat or an annoyance to the person you love.
