Sandra Bullock Target of Trolls Amid 'The Blind Side' Scam

Former NFL star Michael Oher has cast doubt over the plot for the movie The Blind Side, which was based on his adoption by a Tennessee couple. Oher's stance has seen many online sending hate to actor Sandra Bullock, the film's lead.

Social media users are calling for Bullock to "give her Oscar back" after she won the award for playing Oher's mother, Leigh Anne Tuohy. Others have leaped to the actress' defense, reminding fans that the current fallout between Oher and the Tuohy family has nothing to do with Bullock.

It was previously thought that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy adopted Oher in his final year of high school, forming the feel-good storyline of the 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, which was subsequently brought to the big screen in the 2009 movie The Blind Side, starring Bullock. However, in August 2023, Oher filed a lawsuit against Sean and Leigh Anne, claiming they never adopted him and instead tricked him into signing a conservatorship that profited the family.

Sean Tuohy has denied the accusations in an interview with The Daily Memphian. Newsweek has reached out to the family for further comment.

Bullock won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2010 for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy, prompting accusations of her having benefitted from the situation. However, some were quick to point out online that her portrayal of the character onscreen had nothing to do with the dispute.

Newsweek has reached out to Bullock's representatives for further comment.

"Now what y'all NOT gon do is blame Sandra Bullock for that Blind Side mess. If that lady fooled everybody, even journalists and the "adoptee" how was Sandy supposed to know? Shut UP," influencer @MediumSizeMeech wrote on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter.

"It is totally misguided and unfair to assign blame to her for the new and deeply disturbing allegations about the real-life story," user @RichardERoeper wrote about Bullock.

Others weren't as forgiving though. "Sandra Bullock should give her Oscar back. She knows she didn't deserve that s***," sports broadcaster Brandon Walker wrote.

"Sandra Bullock yelled 'run the dang ball' a couple times and had the academy trembling on their hands and knees," @BrennanSouhrada wrote. "For some reason the whole blind side was fake thing makes me just hate Sandra bullock," said @PacanBryan.

As Bullock was being dragged into the debate by some, others were quick to defend the star and remind everyone of her recent bereavement. On August 5, Bullock's long-time partner Bryan Randall died after privately dealing with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

"Sandra Bullock doesn't have anything to do with that Blind Side stuff. She was just acting. It's the real family y'all should be p***** at. Let the woman grieve about losing her partner," user @FemaleTrouble74 wrote.

Author and podcast host Craig Rozniecki agreed. "I'm seeing a lot of Sandra Bullock jokes, since she won an Oscar for the movie 'Blind Side.' Come on, she just lost her partner, and it's not like any of this is her fault," he wrote.