/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5f653d3ffc17f79b5952680e/0x0.jpg?cropX1=635&cropX2=3930&cropY1=100&cropY2=1954&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1 "Netflix’s ‘Cheer’ Stars Express Shock Over Teammate Jerry Harris’ Arrest On Child Porn Charges")
Topline
Three cheerleading world celebrities and stars of the Netflix hit series Cheer have spoken out for the first time since teammate and fan-favorite Jerry Harris was arrested and charged with the production of child pornography.
La’Darius Marshall, Monica Aldama, Gabi Butler and Jerry Harris in January, before Harris’ arrest.
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Key Facts
Navarro College cheer coach Monica Aldama, who was portrayed as a motherly figure to her squad on the show, tweeted, “My heart is shattered into a million pieces. I am devastated by this shocking, unexpected news,” and asked for privacy as the Navarro cheer “family mourns during this time.”
La’Darius Marshall, a member of the team who was featured heavily in the show—and was a close friend of Harris—told followers on Instagram on Friday, “I feel as though I have had the wind knocked out of me,” and called the experience “gut wrenching.”
On Cheer, Marshall detailed the sexual abuse he went through as a child, and said in the statement he knows first-hand how it can traumatize victims.
“I am broken to pieces to see this happen with someone close to me,” Marshall said, and implored anyone who is experiencing temptation to act on attraction to a minor to seek psychological help.
Harris’ former Navarro teammate, Cheer castmate and friend Gabi Butler told followers the news had left her “sobbing uncontrollably and trying to wrap my head around why something like this could happen,” and said having to issue a statement of such a nature “hurts my heart more than any of you will ever know.”
Harris has not yet released a statement or entered a plea.
Key Background
The documentary series Cheer that followed a season of a Texas community college’s cheerleading squad was an instant hit on Netflix and catapulted the the cast to stardom—squad members have appeared on the Ellen show, been spoofed on an episode of Saturday Night Live and fielded opportunities for sponsored social media posts. Aldama is a competitor on the current season of Dancing With The Stars. Harris himself even interviewed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Instagram prior to his arrest. USA Today reported earlier this week that Harris was being investigated by the FBI after two 14-year-old twin brothers who met Harris through cheerleading accused him of sexual misconduct. Harris was arrested Thursday and according to court documents, admitted to asking for and receiving explicit messages from more than a dozen minors via the Snapchat photo app, paid a 17-year-old for nude photographs of the teen and had sex at a cheer meet with a 15-year-old.
Further Reading
Jerry Harris from ‘Cheer’ under FBI investigation for allegedly soliciting sex from minors (USA Today)
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