Jenna Marie Ortega, best known for her roles in “Stuck in the Middle”, “You” and as the titular character in “Wednesday,” was photographed smoking outside in Notting Hill, West London. The twenty-year-old actress’s mother, Natalie Ortega, a nurse, responded by making a number of Instagram posts calling out her daughter.

She posted a meme featuring Gollum from “The Lord of the Rings,” mocking the skin and voice conditions smokers often get, as well as some posts with studies about the dangers of inhaling tobacco. While perhaps she meant well, fan reaction was mixed, with some arguing that Jenna is an adult, while others sided with the mother.

20-year-old actress Jenna Ortega was challenged by her mother after she was photographed smoking

Image credits: jennaortega

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Image credits: jennaortega

Image credits: jennaortega

Image credits: jennaortega

Image credits: Netflix

Image credits: jennaortega

Image credits: jennaortega

Image credits: jennaortega

Jenna Ortega has had a massive last few years, most notably playing the character Wednesday on Netflix’s “Adams Family” spinoff of the same name. Even if you haven’t watched it, you have probably encountered the iconic dance from a later episode of the show. She also starred in 2020’s Scream and the second season of the Netflix thriller You. As always with up-and-coming actresses, she has ended up under a serious amount of media scrutiny, so it wasn’t long before some paparazzi photographed her smoking while in London. While a twenty-year-old smoking normally doesn’t get a second look, her mother, Natalie Ortega, who is also a nurse, called out her daughter on Instagram and as always with famous people’s family drama, the internet took notice quickly.

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Natalie Ortega tried to educate her daughter through Instagram posts featuring memes and studies about the effects of smoking

Natalie Ortega made a series of posts, including a meme and some more information about the long-term effects of cigarette use. Nothing she posted was downright false, as the effects of smoking are pretty well documented. But there was fan backlash, as many wondered why she was policing grown adults’ choices and why she chose to do it so publically.

Image credits: natalieortega1

Image credits: natalieortega1

Image credits: natalieortega1

Image credits: natalieortega1

Image credits: natalieortega1

Image credits: natalieortega1

Smoking actual cigarettes used to be extremely commonplace, from airplanes to hospital lounges, but these days, at least in the US, it’s hit historic lows. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that only 11% of adults would describe themselves as regular smokers, which is 4% less than in 2016. In the 1950s, nearly half of US adults smoked regularly, so when you see a smoker on nearly every episode of Mad Men, it’s a pretty accurate representation of the times. Since then, people have become more aware of the dangers, and gradually, rates have dropped. Natalie Ortega is not wrong, cigarette use has all sorts of adverse health effects. Smokers are at a significantly higher risk of lung cancer and suffer from bad breath and yellowing teeth.

But, as many fans have indicated, Jenna Ortega is a grown woman. As much as we might hate to admit it, most of us have at least one habit that we know is ultimately pretty bad for our health. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that nearly 80% of Americans twelve and older have consumed alcohol in the last year. The negative effects of alcohol are not a mystery to anyone. Similarly, fast food is not considered good for you by any metric (unless one is literally starving,) but is still enjoyed by people all over the world. At the end of the day, consenting adults can and should make their own choices, but it never hurts to be informed.

Internet users were divided, some arguing that an adult can do what they please, while others thought a mom should look after her kids

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