While the 'Teen Mom OG' alum visits the memorial site to pay respects to the late NBA star, many accuse him of chasing clout by posting his smiling selfies from the crash site.
- Oct 4, 2021
AceShowbiz - It's almost two years since Kobe Bryant passed away, but for some people the pain over the loss have never completely subsided. Thus, after Cory Wharton posted photos from the helicopter crash site, the reality TV star has been dragged online for bringing up the painful memory with his Instagram content.
Making use of his social media account, Cory shared on Friday, October 1 pictures of himself and his daughter Mila visiting the crash site to pay their respects to the late star. In one of the images, he was seen wearing Kobe's number eight black Los Angeles Lakers jersey while carrying his one-year-old daughter on his shoulders and flashing a V sign.
In some other images, he and his daughter took a closer look at a memorial set up with hats, flowers and other mementos from fans. In the caption, the former "The Challenge" star wrote, "Today we got a chance to go on a hike and You know we had to pay our homage though to the Black Mamba."
Some people, however, saw his post as disrespectful. "It's a YIKES for me, dawg. Smiling and posing at a spot where people literally died? Gross, even by your standards, Cory," one disgusted fan wrote. Another commented, "Wow this is extremely disrespectful. Paying your respects is one thing, but smiling and doing a peace sign in front of where 8 people (including a little girl) died is in bad taste."
A third reacted to the post, "This ain't it." Someone accused Cory of posting the photos to gain attention, writing, "Anything for the gram right. This is gross. If you want to visit, visit. Don't post smiling selfies." A fifth similarly accused him, "Poor taste!!! You're such clout chaser."
"This post is super insensitive and disrespectful to all of the victims and their families…," someone else wrote. Another pointed out why posting the photos was inappropriate, "His wife asked that no one share pictures of the memorial site." One other chimed in, "Idk man, some things you just keep to yourself."
However, at least one person has come to Cory's defense. The self-proclaimed fan of Kobe wrote in response to the criticism, "I hate to say this as a Kobe fan myself but this is no different from visiting the site where someone got into a car crash or when late celebrities have their last worn items on display or for sale . It's nothing wrong with him going there that's a normal way to pay respect. Stop picking and choosing what people can make into a memorial ."
Cory himself has not reacted to the backlash and still keeps the photos on his Instagram page.
