Nia Vardalos was linked to an online chain of Twitter posts that ultimately led to the rescue of a suicidal man in Florida two weeks ago.
The drama began around 8pm EST when Demi Moore was personally Tweeted by the troubled man saying: “I’m about to go hang myself from a tree outside my house and end my life. I have no reason to live anymore.”
Moore responded within a minute asking if the teenager was serious, and he replied that he was.
Among those watching the exchange was Vardalos, who called a suicide hotline and gave the man’s name and where he lived.
Police went to the teenager’s home and found him sitting at his computer desk crying. He told officers he “did not know what to do with himself without help,” according to a police statement.
At the time of the man’s live threat he had no “followers” on his account. Now his numbers have escalated to over 800 people, yet he only “follows” two people; Vardalos and Moore.
Vardalos reassured followers that she had spoken with the Florida police and that the man was ok; it was not a hoax.
She has since Tweeted many thanks to all of her supporters for their kind messages during the ordeal, wishing everyone “love back to u. Let’s laugh, love, eat sugar”.
Moore later thanked her followers for aiding the intervention. She wrote, “Thank you twitterverse for your help supporting someone in pain last night.”
Demi Moore’s Twitter account has over 2.5 million followers. She and her husband Ashton Kutcher are both active users of the social website. It has also been reported that Moore’s account was used as the main platform for a similar incident last year.