House of the Dragon star disgusted by Game of Thrones fans

Olivia Cooke, aka Alicent Hightower, has distanced herself from social media in part because of the toxicity of some of the fandom. She denounces in particular the sexism and racism of certain fans.

She is back on Instagram, but preferred to step away from social networks for some time this summer, during the broadcast of season 3 on HBO Max.

In an interview with GQ in November 2026, Olivia Cooke returned to the hostility of some House of the Dragon fans:

“There’s also a lot of ugliness in this fandom. It’s steeped in misogyny. There’s a lot of racism. I try not to give it too much space in my head…”

Public reactions to her character caused her to leave social media for several months.

The launch of season 3 this summer largely contributed to his decision to step back. At issue: the sometimes virulent reactions of part of the Game of Thrones fandom, but also the interpretations of certain spectators whom she absolutely does not recognize.

The third season indeed provoked heated discussions around the evolution of Alicent, particularly after a forced kiss between the queen and her son Aemond, as well as an intimate dream of the latter involving his mother. Sequences which sparked numerous theories and comments, some of which ended up distorting, according to the actress, what was actually told on screen. Olivia Cooke regrets that these interpretations sometimes take on a disproportionate extent:

“I find that some of these interpretations get carried away and end up becoming something that has nothing to do with what was being shown on screen at that time.”

In 2025, in the columns of The Hollywood Reporter, she already recounted certain unpleasant encounters with fans: “They take a photo, then they tell me: ‘We HATE your character!’ Sometimes people say it very unkindly.”

But fan attacks aren’t the only reason for this digital break. Olivia Cooke also confides that she felt a more general weariness with the networks: “I simply said to myself: I spend too much time here. It doesn’t bring me anything. I think that this celebrity created around the profession of actor has ended up becoming a monster (…) We make series and films, yes, to allow people to escape, but also because it is an artistic and creative work. It is not a question of number of subscribers or partnership with a brand.”