Vanessa Bryant, widow to late NBA great Kobe Bryant, and their eldest daughter, 17-year-old Natalia Bryant, have made their Instagram accounts private for some time now, and they recently explained the heartbreaking reason for it.
On Sunday, June 14, Vanessa Bryant posted a statement to her Instagram Story, explaining that they blocked the fan accounts because pictures of Kobe and her late daughter Gianna Bryant would flood their “Explore” pages, which makes it difficult to cope with their tragic loss. Vanessa also stated that they appreciate the love and support from their fans, but blocking the fan accounts was for “our own healing.”
Her statement reads: “Thx so much for all the 💜, @nataliabryant and I have unfortunately had to block fan pages because it’s been really hard to go online and constantly see pics of our beloved Gigi and Kobe under every single square of our explore pages. Blocking the fan pages has helped change the algorithm. We 💜 you all but please understand that we had to do this for our own healing not because we don’t appreciate your 💜. Xo.”
Natalia Bryant also posted a statement to her Instagram Story with similar sentiments, explaining that although the fan pages “have good intentions,” they are “constant reminders” of their terrible loss. Natalia wrote: “Thank you so much for all the love and support. Many of you may have noticed the recent switch to a private account. My mom and I unfortunately had to block fan pages because they keep reposting our pics. This makes it 10x harder to deal with our loss. We hope that people understand that although these fan pages have good intentions, they make moving forward harder since they are constant reminders. Blocking the accounts have helped change the algorithm but we cannot go public until the fan pages stop. We love all of your sweet intentions and we hope you understand. Always, Natalia.”
Their statements come almost six months since Kobe and Gianna Bryant, along with Alyssa, John and Keri Altobelli, Payton and Sarah Chester, Christina Mauser and pilot Ara Zobayan were tragically killed in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. Gianna was 13 and Kobe was 41 when they passed. Gianna and Kobe are survived by Vanessa and daughters Natalia, 3-year-old Bianka and 11-month-old Capri Bryant.
