Dan Levy , who starred onSchitt's Creek , dealt with bullying and anxiety as a child and teen.- His mom, Deborah Divine, celebrated her son's success in hosting SNL while calling out his bullies.
- Levy has talked about how he had to work to accept himself after years of bullying.
Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy hosted his first Saturday Night Live episode in February, and his mom was clearly bursting with pride. Ahead of the show, Levy's mom, Deborah Divine, had a special message for the kids who bullied her son decades ago.
"This goes out to the bully punks at Camp WTF who made life miserable for a certain cabin-mate back in the summer of '96 - just because he was different," Divine posted on Twitter. "Well, after all these years I have just 7 words to say to you: 'Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!'"
Levy retweeted Divine with a simple caption: "Moms."
Although Levy is now a star thanks to the overwhelming success of Schitt's Creek, he had a rough time growing up queer. He recently spoke to Bustle about his childhood anxiety that made it difficult to go to birthday parties or summer camp.
"I think that came from a deep-rooted fear of knowing that I was gay and not being able to be free," Levy said. "By the time I got to high school, when your brain is starting to catch up to your physical impulses, it led to a very confusing time. Because on the one hand, you are now being introduced to things like self-awareness and anxiety. At the same time, you're becoming more and more savvy when it comes to hiding it."
Levy delved into theater as a way to cope with his anxiety and angst, but he still struggled to embrace his real personality.
"It was like a decoy version of myself that I was putting out there to not have to live with the reality that when the bullying was happening - if someone was calling me a f----t or whatever it was - they were speaking the truth," he told Bustle. "Your sense of self gets chipped away."
Since Levy wasn't out about his sexuality, he had a lot to hide in high school, the actor told Bustle. Divine was always there for him, and "invited" her son to come out to her over lunch when Levy was 18.
Once he was out, Levy worked to ease his anxieties and become more comfortable with himself, he told Bustle.
Many other moms joined Divine on Twitter in calling out the kids who made their own children uncomfortable.
"Love a mom with a grudge list of people who were mean to their kid," one mom wrote. "I have mine and it will go with me to my grave. My queer kid is amazing. Just like yours."