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Selena Gomez Shares Video Message to Bullied Student Keaton Jones: ''You're a Very Brave Boy''

Pop star thanks the now-viral teen for taking a stand against bullying in a clip exclusive to E! News

By McKenna Aiello Dec 12, 2017 2:58 AMTags

Selena Gomez is showing her support for Keaton Jones

In a video message exclusive to E! News, the pop star thanks the Tennessee-based kid for taking a stand against bullying in a clip that has since gone viral and attracted plenty of celebrity attention

In the video, Keaton is visibly upset as he tells his mother that classmates make fun of his appearance, ultimately urging, "People that are different don't need to be criticized about it. It's not their fault, but if you are made fun of, just don't let it bother you. They suck I guess." Selena agrees with Keaton, and applauds his bravery and admits his struggles broke her heart. 

The "Wolves" songstress says to the camera, "Hey Keaton, it's Selena Gomez. I saw your video and it completely broke my heart but I want to remind you how courageous that was. I thought what you said was real and genuine." 

She continues, "I think you're a very brave young boy to go through that and you don't realize it yet, but you're going to help a lot of other people who are feeling the same way. I'm encouraging you and I'm cheering you on. Just know, L.A. loves you a lot."

Countless other celebrities including Millie Bobby BrownSnoop Dogg, Demi LovatoJustin BieberOrlando Bloom and more have also showered Keaton with support. Hailee Steinfeld invited the young child to attend tomorrow's premiere of Pitch Perfect 3 with her and Chris Evans asked him and mom Kimberly Jones to come along for next year's Avengers premiere. 

A GoFundMe was even launched to help finance Keaton's "future," but donations have since been disabled over an onslaught of backlash against his mother. Controversial posts allegedly shared by Kimberly allude to her support of the Confederate Flag and suggest racist viewpoints, but her unverified Facebook page has since been taken down or made private. 

More than 20 million people viewed Keaton's plea over the weekend, but the original video has also been wiped from the internet. 

Per ET, he gave an interview to CBS' local Knoxville, Tenn. affiliate WVLT, explaining, "I've been bullied most of my life. It really hit drastically in third grade and it's been awful ever since then. They call me mean, horrendous names, like all kinds of awful things. They say nobody likes me, they make fun of my nose, my scars, they've poured milk on me and poured ham down my clothes, thrown bread at me."

Keaton said Chris Evans' response meant the most to him, adding, " I love Captain America, and to know I have Captain America on my side, that is amazing."