Last night, Lifetime aired its Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B starring Alexandra Shipp.
Well before the network broadcast the Wendy Williams produced film, it was the center of social media controversy. Aaliyah’s family publicly stated that they did not approve of the biopic and urged fans not to view it. The film initially cast Zendaya Coleman, who eventually bowed out from the lead role after she received heavy criticism from Aaliyah fans.
The film replaced Coleman with Shipp, who, along with the actors they selected to play Missy Elliott and Timbaland, received massive amounts of social media backlash. Further compounding the issue, it was announced that the biopic would not feature any of Aaliyah’s music. Some became apoplectic when Lifetime introduced a trailer of the film featuring an Iggy Azalea track.
WATCH: ‘Aaliyah’ Biopic Star Alexandra Shipp: I’m Being Bullied For Taking The Role
Last night, the film finally aired, but social media couldn’t seem to get past the casting decisions made by the film’s producers. We compiled some of the best tweets and Instagram posts to give you a taste. What did you think of the film? Take our poll below.
#TreySongzMovie 2040 LMAO!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/bt7BCzV6kr
— DJ DRE | #GetEmDre (@DjDre1990) November 16, 2014
https://twitter.com/DaveyRemix/status/533812215594639360
https://twitter.com/Stoney_Blu/status/533812545673773057
https://twitter.com/DaveyRemix/status/533811218998644736
https://twitter.com/De_Nako/status/533818669906673665
#LifetimeBiopic "Mama Singing ain't for me" The Ciara Story pic.twitter.com/3stvGv1oTY
— Wet Throat (@TheEliteFleet) November 16, 2014
#LifetimeBiopic "Mama Singing ain't for me" The Ciara Story pic.twitter.com/3stvGv1oTY
— Wet Throat (@TheEliteFleet) November 16, 2014
https://twitter.com/phontigallo/status/533825931459444736
https://twitter.com/_savage_57/status/533836899430191104
When @lifetimetv does your biopic pic.twitter.com/hXKs0K7s1Y
— Wet Throat (@TheEliteFleet) November 16, 2014
i'm DONE! lolololol #LifetimeBeLike pic.twitter.com/PnHDhhgUGf
— #PettyPendergrass (@ashoncrawley) November 16, 2014
https://twitter.com/keithington/status/533873047804325888
https://twitter.com/kdotsdaughter/status/533818783732080640
https://twitter.com/YungLost_Rebel/status/533812623985614849
https://twitter.com/SKEJayRogers/status/533811295016189954
The Struggle for Freedom: The Harriet Tubman Story #LifetimeBeLike pic.twitter.com/TWeovrIBwK
— Anticipatin🇨🇲 (@TwittaAintDead) November 16, 2014