Normal People actor Paul Mescal has been outed as a "homophobic bully" "the biggest bully in my year" in a series reddit posts.

Normal Assholes

"I can't escape the TV show "Normal People". Everyone's seen it or is recommending it to each other. The lead Paul Mescal was in the same year as me in secondary school. He bullied me for a couple of years although I didn't really bare the brunt of his hatred. I wasn't the main guy he bullied just a side guy as weird as that sounds haha. Anyway he was a nasty piece of work in school and it annoys me seeing interviews with him where he tries to talk like he was just some regular nice guy but he wasn't. He was the classic popular kid/bully. In sixth year he was the lead in our musical Phantom of the Opera but he didn't change even becoming a "theatre kid" as the Americans might say. Anyway I just wanted to get this off my chest because I'm sick of seeing people fawn over him like he's some kind of deep sensitive person, he was horrible in school."

An ex went to school with Austin Nichols and called him a "rich douchbag."

I asked if he was gay, and he replied "Not in high school."

Both these things disappointed me.

I liked Mescal in Normal People, but not hard for me to believe he was a douchey bro in highschool.

wht is Normal People ???

R4, Google is free. However, I can tell you that Normal People is a great miniseries on Hulu with great acting, especially by Paul Mescal.

Ive read so much about Mescal and read so many interviews, and these stories don’t sound like the same guy at all. I really hope this stuff isn’t true. I wouldn’t exactly call Reddit a good source.

[Quote] his Dad a Gard (that's what the police are called in Ireland)

Well of course.

I couldn't care less about anything else about him after I've seen his intact dong.

NEXT!!!

I was the school bully ... and I had a wonderful time!

Some Irish people who went to Paul Mescal's school say that they never saw him being a bully or homophobic. Also the post writer got Mescal's parents professions mixed up

"I was in his class. I wasn't friends with him or anything, he was definitely one of the popular lads and I mean come on like, he played Minor for Kildare, could sing/act and was fairly well-built and I.... wasn't. But that didn't stop him from being a gentleman. He's the type who could have used his social standing to be a dick but did the exact opposite of that and would always give you (by that I mean, me) the time of day and wouldn't mind having a conversation with someone way down the pecking order (which is a big thing as a teenager). This is utter garbage which is typical for twitter."

"I was in his year too .. totally agree. I would never say he would do those things and although I'm a girl and never saw the "locker room" antics I never heard anything bad about him. There was homophobia in our school for sure but never heard it coming from him."

"No, quite honestly his friends could be massive dickheads at times, including to me, but he never once used the social standing he had for sinister means even when he could have. I'd love if someone actually came forward on here because they'd be fkn lying and I'd call them out on it."

"I was in his school. He’s a lovely bloke, sickened to see all of this. None of it is remotely true and I don’t understand why anyone would post something like that."

"Agreed. I actually know the guy and he's not like that at all. Kept his head down in school. Was always sound and relatively quiet. Why do people think it's ok to try and hurt someone's career for Reddit karma?"

"He was a jock but he was sound af to me anyway. Heard he changed a bit after school when he fell in with the acting crowd at the Lír but that's to be expected. The Lír crowd are known to be a bunch of gobshites anyway."

He has bitchface.

If the Reddit poster is telling the truth then it should be pretty easy to work out who he is. Is this person really willing to be publicly exposed?

I don't believe much of what I've seen on reddit.

It's full of foul-mouthed guttersnipes.

Reddit has its fair share of, as they are called around here, ESTs (Elaborate Scenario Trolls).

Normal People was an incredibly boring series. I never finished it. Why do people think it was so wonderful?

R15 the nakedness I guess. I found it kinda dull.

I read this months ago, but not on Reddit. Have we not discussed his bullying before on DL? I found the series too dull to finish, and stopped thinking about it, or him. He's no Tim O'Tay.

Anyone feeling the need to say, “I’m not a gay guy but so-and-so was never homophobic to me, therefore he can’t possibly have beeb homophobic to anyone else” needs their face viciously slapped.

Like some girl would have any idea whether homophobic bullying was going on or not. Stupid slut is probably just attention seeking off the back of going to school with a celeb.

That's the thing R12. Anonymity brings out the crazies. I take these stories--especially on Reddit--with a grain of salt.

The apologists sound like PR hacks.

[quote]R14: Reddit has its fair share of, as they are called around here, ESTs (Elaborate Scenario Trolls).

Actually, EST stands for “Elaborate Setup Troll.” The x/10 (as in 3/10, for example) is used in EST threads and nowhere else. Grading is subjective, but usually is based on the number of posters who bought the lies hook, line, and sinker.

R21 Really, I thought it was a creativity score!

Closet case.

This bullying story has been debunked

"One anonymous person contradicted another anonymous person" isn't a debunking, R24.

No, R21, it's "scenario," not "set-up." Sorry.

It's been "scenario" for at least 15 year but probably more than 20. If you go to Google you'll see even L-Chat, JUB and Broadway World using the phrase "Elaborate Scenario Troll" as far back as the mid 2000s. Seems Datalounge is contagious.

Right, R18. The fundie bitch who harassed me in high school was sweet as pie to people she thought were good hetero Christians. You could probably split the high school 50-50, half thinking she was a psychopath, the other half saying "she was never a bully, she was a charming young lady."

Why is there so much Reddit shit on the Datalounge these days?

Who is our Reddit troll?

R27 Paul didn't go to a fundie high school so it's not like the christian factor is at play

Not shocking. Even more not shocking is that the breeders refuse to talk about this.

I don't even know who this nobody is, that said, many bullies don't even know they are one, because many had their behavior normalized.

When I was visiting my grandparents a couple of years ago, I ran into this bully who terrorized my cousin, he didn't even remember that and thought the cousin was a super cool guy in HS, he talked about my cousin as if they were best friend and as if he didn't do anything. In reality he terrorized him so much my cousin had to change schools.

R31, Paul Mescal is not a nobody. You’re an idiot.

Oh, please. Go get some therapy if you’re still going on about your childhood. Geez.

I didn't say he went to a fundie high school or that there was some fundie factor in this scenario, I was just talking about my personal experience, r29. Surely you don't really think I said he went to a fundie high school? Ludicrous.

I’m not mad at this pic, though.

Louis Floplinson of 1d was outed as a homophobic bully at school too.

Normal People was preposterous. It got super silly after the first three or four episodes. Not worth watching beyond that.

Paul Mescal is like a retard with nice thighs.

R36 Have a link? Would love to post it in some Larry groups.

#metoo

If the poster come out in public and confront him, this could be a good way to focus on bullies.

What do you think?

An assertion is evidence of nothing, R24. At least provide a link to said debunking.

Nice weiner

R37 is a lonely fat fuck who’s jealous of Paul Mescal’s good looks and hot body — and that he starred in a great miniseries.

I believe the bullied if they can identify him by dong alone.

I forgive Paul Mescal for this because he showed his cock onscreen.

(Jon Hamm - I’m waiting to forgive you too.)

Fug actor

I was disappointed by his average hairy dick. And he's average looking

R46 Dont blame him, blame the Irish

Oh, no! I'm reading Normal People now, before diving into the show. My main motivation was the opportunity to lust over Paul for several episodes...

Paul is only ten pints away from becoming a lard ass like fellow Mullingar man Niall Horan.

He isn't especially gd looking

Mescal is sexy as fuck.

Decent bod... Butterface tho...

Is Normal people really that good? because the novel is the most overrated shit that i read in years. Well, Rooney is overrated, the novel is simply bad

Something to consider: Ireland seems to be pretty protective of their stars (they can bad mouth them, but other people can't); if person spoke out, even on an anonymous chat board, they must have genuinely felt very strongly that Mescal was a shitty guy since many of the other posters on Reddit appeared to be from that area & knew Mescal and therefore could possibly *out* this person. So as other commenters noted, it could be that for whatever reason Mescal did pick on this person, but mostly behaved himself. That's not really that uncommon in school that certain people are singled out for abuse while others go unscathed.

By the way, you can be a complete asshole in high school and change after that. Sometimes it's just as easy as changing your friends. People change (sometimes for better or worst)

He’s a sexy guy but at the same time he looks kind of...I dunno, unhealthy? Like he always has the mother of all hangovers. He is Irish I guess.

R55 Being a bully or a bigot has to do with your surroundings; your parents, your siblings, the friends you associate with. By the time you're in high school, this mindset and behavior is pretty much set. You have to realize you are engaged in hateful behavior and make a conscious effort to rectify it. It doesn't change just be having a new set of friends, it's already ingrained.

R57 I read that bullshit here again and again. What kind of fool doesn't change after teenage years? Yes, some people are jerks all their lives, but most people evolve (for better or worse). One must be very dumb to stay the same.

Those kind of behaviour are not ingrained unless you are a psycho, and most bullies are not psychos

R58 = A bully

He’s fat.

And he walks funny....

Is there one Paul Mescal hater making all these negative posts about him? Seems that way.

I doubt it, r62. I probably made one such post here, but no others. I find his bully-ness utterly credible. But I didn't like the show, either, and gave it up after two episodes.

Not gonna lie, I found him sexy and he looks good naked, but everything else on the show was downhill after that.

I doubt it, [R62]. I probably made one such post here, but no others. I find his bully-ness utterly credible. But I didn't like the show, either, and gave it up after two episodes.

Me too; even given the Reddit comments in his favor, he was very much a big fish in a small pond, so that he was less than charitable to his peers that he considered below him doesn't seem terribly shocking

He's a rough 24.

I hope he's a shower.

Too bad he gained prominence in the age of COVID. The thirst for Paul waned by summer's end, and most people have settled in at Camp Josh O'Connell for the winter.

[quote]We always assume that our bullies will have terrible lives and end up working some minimum wage job

Huh? That's a weird way to open. I never assumed that. All my bullies were the popular jocks and good looking academic stars. I assumed most went into finance or law, typical alpha-male careers. It's also obvious that a fair amount of bullies go on to become cops.

Guys please help me out. I recently saved a thread on a hot actor who looks like Ashton kutcher. In the Ops picture the actor is lying on a bed. Can't seem to find it on my watched threads

Normal People is the poor man's Ordinary People.

Normal People is the poor man's Ordinary People.

Buck would never bully anyone, not even Conrad who clearly deserved it

Normal People <<< Like Normal People

I heard he has a tiny dick.

A year after I graduated, I confronted a bully and said if he was so tough, then he'd let me prove I was a "faggot" by sucking him off. He laughed but came around a few days later and that fucking absolutely did happen. Only once. And he did like it. Did I feel used? No. He had a good dick. Am I pathetic? Maybe but its been years and who gives a shit.

R75, that never happened.

Why would your bully need proof of you being a faggot when he'd been calling you one for years? Sounds fake.

He has face of the retard.

He has face of the retard.

The ultimate DL put down if you can't say someone is fat...

Not to be that person from another thread, but Ireland must struggle a lot with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?

I like his nose, but depending on the angle he either looks like a Greek god...or Rocky Dennis in "Mask."

R80 here and I googled my own answer and Christ, Ireland is third out of 187 countries in FAS, that is really deplorable with what we know about maternal health issues.

Cher slashed my mother's throat in a Walmart parking lot. I posted it online so it must be true.

Uuuuggghhhh. This sucks. I thought he was one of the best things on TV last year and should have won the Emmy.

[R80] here and I googled my own answer and Christ, Ireland is third out of 187 countries in FAS, that is really deplorable with what we know about maternal health issues.

Wow - I would've assumed that eastern european/former Soviet bloc countries would occupy the top 10....

There might be a season 2?

[quote]We always assume that our bullies will have terrible lives and end up working some minimum wage job but that's just not the reality.

It's why I don't believe in God. I had several bullies, but two if them I know have incredible lives. One is a (straight) fashion designer who dates models and the other is a wealthy attorney.

of* them

It seems these accusations are unfounded or being deeply buried as a barrage of end of year stuff is coming out highlighting Paul.

He played the Phamtom

Bond?

R86 Why not, the show was a success.

The novel has tons of fans who were outraged when that shitty novel didn't make the Booker shortlist. It has one of the most annoying female characters ever

An Irish James Bond? Yeah right!!!!

[quote]Some Irish people who went to Paul Mescal's school say that they never saw him being a bully or homophobic. Also the post writer got Mescal's parents professions mixed up

Also, the use of language by the person who made this accusation doesn't seem like that of someone who was born and grew up in Ireland. So who knows?

[quote]I don't believe in God. I had several bullies, but two if them I know have incredible lives. One is a (straight) fashion designer who dates models and the other is a wealthy attorney.

I don't believe in God either, but for what (little) it's worth, I think believers say that bad people and good people are supposed to be punished or rewarded in the next life, not during this one.

R87 "One is a (straight) fashion designer" Yeah, that's not a thing

He fug.

Wasn't Paul Mescal papped out walking a POODLE?

He needs an actual hairstyle

He is FAT.

[quote] Wasn't Paul Mescal papped out walking a POODLE?

The Poodle is the smartest breed.

On what planet do people think he would make a good James Bond?!🤣

Is this show and the book for young fraus who think their stupid dramas are interesting?

Of course they don't think they are fraus because they like indie music and art house films.

R102 I don't know the tv show but the novel is awful. It starts pretty well but the female character is annoying as hell and the male barely has any personality.

Rooney has a tendency (i read Conversations with friends too) to introduce characters who obviously suffered a trauma but always avoid to explain which trauma caused the behaviour which in my oppinion is cheating big time

Rooney's characters are all ridiculously exaggerated and lack nuance. Marianne's mother and brother are far too vicious for no reason at all. Paul's mother is super kind and indulgent and Marianne's Swedish boyfriend is another pantomime villain.

Marianne also has an eating disorder in the book which the TV drama series ignores. The main reason Paul won't tell his friends that they're dating is because she's fat. She's described in the book as having 'no jawline' and a body like 'handfuls of flour'. In the novel she loses weight for university by eating a yoghurt a day and nothing else, but in the Tv show she's very slight right from the start and remains that way. There's no real reason for Paul to ever be embarrassed by dating such a pretty girl.

R104. They went for plain and awkward (in an intellect sort of way)in place of fat. Like fucking a good looking socially inept nerd. I thought it was effective enough. But fat mightve been more interesting. Who's to say. I think it worked although there were aspects that I don't care for. Anyone they each dated away from each other didn't seem believable and almost forced. They were also all unattractive compared to their counterparts and both seemed to always be pining for each other even in other relationships. They barely tried to hide it.

In the book, Marianne's Swedish boyfriend was supposed to be blond and very good looking, like a cold god type, but the guy they cast to play him in the show looked like a tiny ugly crack addict. She would never have found him attractive.

[quote] Louis Floplinson of 1d was outed as a homophobic bully at school too.

Makes perfect sense since he could easily be taken as gay himself.

R104 The problem with her boyfriends is they are blamed of doing exactly what she wants them to do.

I read recently in a bood form people complaining about Eleonor Olyphant is perfectly fine resolution, they thought the trauma didn't explain completely her behaviour but at least Honeyman tried to explain the behaviour of her character. Conversations with friends was published the same year but Rooney never explained how her character behaves that way.

It's pretty obvious that something happened in Marianne's family, but she again took the easy route of not explain anything but that way the behaviour of the brother and the mother becomes cartoonish, they are there to be villains and make Marianne more likeable (in my case she failed big time)