Bryce Dallas Howard, star of The Help amongst other things, appeared out and about with her 4-month-old baby earlier this week, and in doing so, caused a firestorm of ridicule, followed quickly by a firestorm of support. The cause of the flurry of reactions? Howard’s weight gain and the way readers of the celeb gossip site TMZ responded to it.

One commenter, who was initially believed to be a TMZ staffer (which TMZ has since denied) said: “The article may say Bryce Dallas Howard on it, but all I’m seeing are photos of Hugh Jass.” Lovely. Another ignoramus stated: “DAMN!!! … Sorry Bryce, but you have cowed out, BIG TIME! Those thighs could feed a village of cannibals for a few weeks!”

Howard, who experienced Postpartum Mood Disorder with her first child, Theo (now age 5), spoke about her struggles with her depression and body image in Gwyneth Paltrow’s newsletter GOOP:

Before Theo was born, I had been in good humor about my 80-pound weight gain, but I was now mortified by it. I felt I was failing at breast-feeding. My house was a mess. I believed I was a terrible dog owner. I was certain I was an awful actress; I dreaded a film I was scheduled to shoot only a few weeks after the birth because I could barely focus enough to read the script. And worst of all, I definitely felt I was a rotten mother—not a bad one, a rotten one. Because the truth was, every time I looked at my son, I wanted to disappear.

So, way to go TMZ for showcasing how ignorant your readers are and for igniting so much body-shaming. If there’s a bright side to all of this, it’s that more people have come out to support and encourage Howard than to shame her.

Read more on Jezebel.