Percy Jackson star Walker Scobell skips prom after fans send death threats to potential dates

Disney+ star Walker Scobell, 17, announced on April 12 via Instagram Story that he would skip his high school prom after obsessive fans sent death threats to teenage girls suspected of being his date.

TL;DR

• Scobell posted on Instagram Story on 12 April confirming he will not attend prom.
• Fans targeted teenage girls near his home with death threats over suspected prom connections.
• The incident highlights a broader pattern of toxic fandom around the Percy Jackson cast.
• Season 3 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is expected on Disney+ later in 2026.

The actor, who plays the titular demigod in Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+, addressed the harassment directly on his Instagram Story, writing that fans had targeted girls simply because of their geographic proximity to him.

“Please stop sending death threats to EVERY teenage girl who could remotely be associated with me based on their proximity to where I live. It’s not fair to them or to their families. Maybe also just stop sending death threats in general. That’s just not cool.”

Scobell added that it was “kinda weird” he even needed to say it — a remark that underscored the gravity of the situation for a teenager navigating sudden global fame, according to Variety.

A milestone lost to toxic fandom

Prom is one of the most widely recognised coming-of-age milestones in American high school life. For Scobell — who has attended the same school since fourth grade — the decision to skip it is a direct and measurable cost of his celebrity, not a PR move.

Screenshots circulating on social media reportedly showed posts from fans threatening to attend the prom themselves with weapons, according to IGN.

The wider pattern of cast harassment

This is not the first time the show’s young cast has been put in an uncomfortable position by its own fanbase. Co-star Aryan Simhadri, who plays satyr Grover Underwood, previously described an unsettling public encounter to Entertainment Weekly, involving a large group of intoxicated fans who recognised him and crossed clear physical boundaries.

Online reactions were largely sympathetic to Scobell. One widely shared comment read: “Imagine making this boy skip an important school event over delusional loveless people thinking they got a chance with him.” Another said the incident was “embarrassing” for the wider fandom.

kai! (@parkersjcnes). “this is insane btw. what the fuck.” X, April 12, 2026. twitter.com/parkersjcnes

What comes next for Percy Jackson

Despite the off-screen turmoil, the show itself continues on an upward trajectory. Production wrapped on Season 3 in March 2026, with the new run adapting Rick Riordan’s third novel, The Titan’s Curse. New cast member Dafne Keen joins as the goddess Artemis, according to Fiction Horizon.

Scobell has also been building his wider career alongside the Disney+ role, lending his voice to the upcoming Angry Birds Movie 3, scheduled for a December 2026 theatrical release. Other major streaming titles continue to compete for the young-adult fantasy audience the show has carved out.

In a January interview with People, Scobell had already acknowledged that returning to school after the Season 1 press tour felt “a little bit weird” — a candid admission that his two worlds are not easily reconciled. The prom decision makes that tension concrete.

Why this matters beyond the headlines

The incident reignites a well-documented debate about the responsibilities of parasocial fandom culture, particularly when its targets are minors. Scobell was just 13 when he was cast, and is still a teenager attending a regular state school while simultaneously leading a major streaming franchise.

Fan communities online have begun calling for clearer boundaries, with several large Percy Jackson accounts posting statements condemning the threats and asking followers to respect the cast’s private lives. Whether that self-policing holds — as Season 3 approaches and the show’s profile grows — remains to be seen.

Reported from publicly available interviews and verified press sources. Last reviewed April 14, 2026.