Beauty spot forced to block comments after 'hot' male worker 'sexually harassed' by fans
April 16, 2026
The plant museum posted last month about the first day of Spring, but it wasn't just the weather heating up as an army of online admirers flooded the declaring their love for hunky Chris Elliot
A prominent New York cultural institution has taken the rare step of disabling comments on its social media channels following a torrent of sexualized remarks aimed at one of its employees. The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) made the decision after several posts featuring horticulturist Chris Elliott went viral, attracting an overwhelming wave of comments that were deemed to be a form of sexual harassment. The institution acted to protect its staff member from the escalating and inappropriate online attention.
The situation began in recent weeks as videos and images of Elliott performing his duties were published on the Garden's official Instagram and TikTok accounts. A video posted on a Friday in early April garnered nearly 4,000 likes on Instagram and over 18,000 views on TikTok within four days, while another clip from March showing him discussing snowdrops also received thousands of interactions. This content, intended to be educational and engaging, quickly took on a different tone as thousands of online admirers began focusing on Elliott's appearance rather than his horticultural expertise.
The flood of comments from both male and female users became increasingly crude and sexual in nature. What may have started as simple appreciation for his looks devolved into a constant stream of objectifying and harassing messages. The unwanted attention also spilled over from the official NYBG accounts, with some fans locating and leaving comments on Elliott's personal social media profiles. This widespread objectification created an environment that the NYBG felt was unsafe and unprofessional for an employee just trying to do his job.
In response to the escalating situation, the New York Botanical Garden took decisive action by turning off the comment functions on all social media posts that featured Elliott. Eagle-eyed followers also noted that the institution appeared to have removed his image from the video thumbnails, a move interpreted as an attempt to deter the "pervs online" and redirect the focus back to the Garden's botanical work. This proactive stance was implemented to shield the employee from further online harassment.
The Garden's decision has been met with approval from many social media users, who praised the organization for prioritizing its employee's well-being over online engagement metrics. Supporters commented on the importance of creating a safe online environment and recognized the actions as a necessary step to protect a staff member from harassment. The incident has since sparked a wider conversation about the nature of online objectification, consent, and the responsibility of employers to protect their staff from digital harassment, highlighting that such unwelcome attention is a serious issue regardless of the gender of the person being targeted.
Source: dailystar