Surprisingly, The Substance isn’t the most disgusting thing Demi Moore has been a part of this decade.
One quick look at social media and the vile comments about her body since arriving at the Cannes Film Festival tops any of the body horror in that film.
@triffic_stuff_ wrote on X: ‘Wow! What happened to DemiMoore? She looks so thin and frail at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival red carpet. Someone give this woman a burger or a biscuit, ASAP.’
Self-diagnosing Moore with an eating disorder based on a picture, @TimNudistn9253n claimed: ‘Demi Moore has shown up at the Cannes Film Festival in total anorexic collapse.’
@EjiroAsuk described Moore’s arms as ‘cachexic’ – a condition that causes involuntary loss of muscle and body fat – and claimed ‘no one really wants to see those.’
I’d go on, but delving too far into the toxicity is enough to bring you out in hives.
The Hollywood icon, 63, has been wowing us all on the red carpet at Cannes with her array of eye-catching gowns – the lavender Demna by Gucci gown a particular highlight – and is positively glowing in the French Riviera sun.
However, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that her body has become the main topic of conversation. A woman being torn apart online for her figure? Shock.
Horrible people leaving horrible comments on social media have been targeting Moore’s thin figure, and there is also speculation that she is on Ozempic, completely overlooking the real reason she is in Cannes.
Moore is among the A-list names attending the prestigious film event, and this year sits on the jury, deciding on the big film award winners of 2026.
However, it took three decades for Moore to get this kind of recognition at Cannes despite her esteemed position as one of Hollywood’s most-loved stars.
It’s hard to imagine her simply being anyone’s plus one, but her very first appearance at the festival was exactly that.
Moore attended Cannes for the first time in 1997 alongside then-husband Bruce Willis for the premiere of his film The Fifth Element. She was there to support the Die Hard actor, but Moore was already a star in her own right.
By this time, the actress was well known for roles in films such as Ghost, A Few Good Men, Striptease and Indecent Proposal. In the year she attended Cannes with Willis, she also starred in one of her biggest roles to date, GI Jane and Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
However, it was a mystery as to why Moore never returned to Cannes in the following years despite her screen achievements.
Her big moment finally came in 2024 with the debut of body horror The Substance. It was Moore’s big Hollywood comeback, and it enjoyed a glorious run, with the film receiving critical acclaim, including a 13-minute standing ovation, and earning her a best actress Oscar nomination. Perhaps most importantly and in keeping with the film’s theme, it proved that there is a space for mature women at Cannes and in film.
Therefore, to see Moore fully embracing her solo glory at the festival this year feels like a groundbreaking moment in her lengthy career. For her moment to then be overshadowed by horrific commentary on her body image feels like a massive step back for women everywhere.
When asked how it felt to get the invitation to sit on the jury, Moore told reporters at a press conference: ‘My first thought is “Me?” I had such a beautiful experience here a few years ago, and one, just to be surrounded by cinema and the love of cinema, and the joy of diving in and being surrounded by those who share that, just felt like a joy, and who can complain about the beautiful view of this incredible place?’
Metro at the Cannes Film Festival
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Keep up with Metro’s Tori Brazier at the Cannes Film Festival here.
‘I feel tremendously honored and super excited. I feel like a little kid playing a grown up,’ she added according to Deadline.
However, her comments about whether Hollywood has changed enough for the women keeping the industry alive, Moore’s response couldn’t have been more on the money.
‘I think the change has happened significantly but I don’t know if that means we’ve gotten there yet. I think it’s still a work in progress,’ she said at the opening conference.
Judging by the reaction to her red carpet appearance, the same can be said for the treatment of female celebrities attending these high-profile events and opening themselves up to scrutiny.
For a woman in her 60s who is enjoying the mother of all comebacks, Moore is doing just fine.
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