Disney actress Olivia Rodrigo is treading the thin line of cancel culture and being forced into a public apology online.

For nearly a week the 18-year-old has been the topic of trending discourse about her alleged use of a Black accent (Blaccent) and cultural vernacular (AAVE — African American vernacular English). Criticism of the singer first surfaced in a viral tweet on July 29 when a user wrote, “olivia rodrigo constantly uses AAVE and it is pissing me off. the blaccent…”

Singer and actress Olivia Rodrigo is slammed on social media for her use of a Black accent and vernacular. (Photo: @olivarodrigo/Instagram)

The message was accompanied by a compilation video of various moments Rodrigo allegedly used AAVE while speaking with fans on Instagram Live. The “Sour Prom” singer is heard saying things like, “I be trippin’” and using lively hand gestures critics claim to be associated specifically with Black people. It spread like a wildfire among the young singer’s fans and critics.

olivia rodrigo constantly uses AAVE and it is pissing me off. the blaccent… pic.twitter.com/R3RmcFdjs0

— GiGi (@beytilldawn) July 28, 2021

Other instances included tweets where again her word choice is being criticized and perceived and blatant cultural appropriation. Rodrigo, who identifies as Filipino, with Irish and German ancestry, hails from Murrieta, California; a suburban city nestled in between San Diego and Los Angeles counties that boasts only a Black population of only 5.47 percent compared to its 48.1 white population.

boy u best believe imma be watching u kill it as evan. this means the whole world. feeling is so mutual!

— Olivia Rodrigo (@Olivia_Rodrigo) January 13, 2020

homegirl went platinum in two weeks!!!!!!! thank u guys so so much!!!!!! https://t.co/N9eivmrd4e

— Olivia Rodrigo (@Olivia_Rodrigo) January 24, 2021

By and large the “High School Musical: The Series” actress’ tendencies are being scrutinized by fans and critics. Some of whom were naive to AAVE, and some who argued Rodrigo’s mannerisms and idioms were simply associated with the language trend seen across social media.

There’s so many people that try to act black or do the ghetto accent, and they don’t do it as a joke, Olivia does it as a joke and it’s wrong bruh. If it was “wrong” then tell people to stop mocking the British accent or southern accent.

— Kay (@Glossyxkay) July 29, 2021

a lot of teens use it bc pop culture which has been influenced largely by black culture has made aave sound “cool”. They use it not to mock us but to seem “cool”. Also, if have you been to any inner city in america, ud know that it is not exclusively used black ppl.

— Sarah B. (@BelcalisGurl) July 30, 2021

However, others are outraged by the alleged AAVE use, citing that non-Back people are perceived as hip or trendy when using slang, whereas Black people are deemed ghetto or uneducated.

call me crazy but i think it has more to do with how society demonizes black people, yet steals their culture, language, and mannerisms. it’s “quirky” when white/passing ppl do all this, but “ghetto” when the people it was stolen from use the language they’re accustomed to. sigh.

— lo (@notchilllauren) July 29, 2021

Noticeably absent from the ongoing discourse is Rodrigo’s take on AAVE and her reasoning for using certain mannerisms that emulate some aspects of Black culture. Unsurprisingly, she has yet to address the backlash, but her fans are hopeful she will at least issue an apology for any insult she may have dished to impacted fans.