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Who’s cutting onions in here? For anyone who has followed the emotional journey of Halle Bailey as she broke ground as a black actress portraying Ariel, you’ve probably shed some tears along the way.
Confronting racism, doubt, and criticism, Halle has withstood a media storm since the live-action remake of The Little Mermaid debuted its trailer in September 2022. Most Disney movie stars don’t have to combat personal attacks while they promote their movies, and Halle has handled a swim upstream with the grace of a princess.
From a viral video capturing raw reactions from girls of color all over the map seeing Ariel in a new light to dazzling blue carpet moments at movie premiers, The Little Mermaid has garnered attention from unexpected corners of the internet for almost two years. With The Little Mermaid’s official release coming to theaters on May 26, Halle stopped by a daytime show to promote the film.
She’s part of our world! @HalleBailey stops by the Tam Fam to talk about all things #TheLittleMermaid. 💜 🧜🏾♀️ 🐠 ✨ pic.twitter.com/Hu57gwJuk7
— Tamron Hall Show (@TamronHallShow) May 18, 2023
On today’s episode of the Tamron Hall show, countless happy tears were packed into its 41-minute air time. One heartfelt moment came when Tamron promised a group of girls—one from the aforementioned viral video—that she could turn a doll into a “real princess:” Halle Bailey.
A couch lined with adorable girls closed their eyes while anxiously waiting to see if Tamron’s powers were real. To their amazement, the real-life Ariel, Halle Bailey, walked around to meet them. Their faces were priceless, and @v_erpleger posted the moment on Twitter.
OMG! 🥺
Halle Bailey is a true princess❤️#TheLittleMermaid pic.twitter.com/Am2gMyFjB1— V. (@vinicices) May 18, 2023
Related: Halle Bailey Creates Magical Moment For Adorable Fan In Disney World
While that was an undeniably magical moment, another surprise hit Tamron Hall’s stage. This time, Bailey was on the receiving end. After chatting about Bailey’s stunning blue carpet appearances, Tamron said:
The best part of any journey is when the people around us are taking it in with us.
Related: Official Date Announced to Meet the New Live-Action Ariel Character in Disney Parks
With that, the camera turned to an unexpected video message from Bailey’s sister, Chlöe Bailey. In it, she praised her younger sister and emphasized her impact:
I am the proudest sister in the entire world. Thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for inspiring all of the beautiful young boys and girls out there who will now see you on that screen and believe they can do anything in the world.
The message instantly brought Halle to tears, responding:
That’s my sister. She’s the best.
On Twitter, @beysbaileys shared the full video, adding:
you very rarely see halle cry and to know that it’s out of love for her sister
you very rarely see halle cry and to know that it’s out of love for her sister 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/IwsRRw0AcL
— jadenˣ⁴🦋ミ☆ (@beysbaileys) May 18, 2023
Our heartstrings are officially tugged, and the formidable Halle Bailey will be joined by Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder, Daveed Diggs as Sebastian, Awkwafina as Scuttle, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, and Javier Bardem as King Triton on screen for the film’s May 26th premiere.
