In a week that’s turning out to be a nightmare for The Young and the Restless alum Max Ehrich, things have gone from unsettling to devastating.
The 34-year-old actor, singer, and former fiancé of pop superstar Demi Lovato, is facing a terrible social media scandal after his Instagram was reportedly hacked, and explicit nude images of him were blasted out to his 1.4 million followers. Yes, you read that right.
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At some point last week, according to multiple media reports, Ehrich’s official IG account was taken over by hackers who uploaded private, NSFW content directly to his public page. That, predictably, left his fans completely shaken. The graphic photos circulated for a short time before being scrubbed from the platform, but the damage had already been done.
And there were screenshots, too; some people scooped ’em up before Meta’s moderators could blink, and they are reportedly still floating around the internet this week. Ugh.
We’re sure it was a gut-wrenching moment for Ehrich, and also for anyone who’s ever had their privacy shattered in such a grotesque way. And say what you will about Ehrich himself and his Lovato-related infamy, but plenty of fans came rushing to his defense online by demanding the posts be removed and the hackers be held accountable.
Oh, and the timing couldn’t be worse. This humiliating violation ended up coming just days before even darker headlines surfaced: Ehrich’s arrest for an alleged domestic violence incident involving a senior citizen — reportedly his own mother — down in Florida.
So scary.
As for the aftermath of the alleged hack, it’s not clear whether Max has his IG account back. As of Thursday night, its most recent posts are from two days ago. In them, the actor implored fans to send money to his mom via Zelle, and at one point shared a message via the Notes app that said “my heart is broken.”
Whatever is going on, we wish Max the best amid this apparent NFSW hack and leak, which is not fun — or fair — for anyone to go through. And through it all, we continue to send love and light to his mother and family as they go through these harrowing times.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available. Consider calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, or go to https://www.thehotline.org/.