After she was chased by paparazzi as she left a taping of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Monday, April 8,
Scarlett Johansson issued a formal statement to press outlets including USA Today demanding legal
action that treats such aggressors as criminal stalkers.
In the statement, the star described her experience being followed by
“five cars full of men with blacked-out windows who were running red lights and putting
other drivers and pedestrians at risk so they could follow me to find out where I was staying and subsequently
stalk me and my young daughter for the duration of my stay …,” noting that “even after Princess
Diana’s tragic death, the laws were never changed to protect targets from the lawless paparazzi and
“many paparazzi have criminal pasts and will perform criminal acts to get their shot.”
“All of this is perfectly legal,” she continued. Scarlett went on to explain that she felt unsafe so
she stopped at a police station. “I felt it was my duty as a concerned citizen who was being
pursued dangerously and stalked to go to the local precinct and seek guidance there,” she said.
“Women across the US are stalked, harassed and frightened and a universal law to address
stalking must be at the forefront of law enforcement conversations. Until paparazzi are considered by
the law for the criminal stalkers they are, it’s just a waiting game before another person gets seriously
injured or killed, like Princess Diana.”
