The Dirty Grandpa actor was slammed on Twitter after he wrote, "I'm grateful for a couple things today: Martin Luther King Jr & 10 million followers on IG," along with a raised fist emoji and pointing index emoji, both in black skin tone.
The following day, Efron, 28, deleted the post and issued an apology to his 21 million social media followers. "I have nothing but the greatest admiration and respect for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I realize that last night's post was completely insensitive and I apologize to anyone who I may have offended. So sorry," he shared on Instagram.
gotcha but if u had 2 pick 1... “@ZacEfron: I'm grateful for a couple things today: Martin Luther King Jr & 10 million followers on IG "
— Pillar Point (@Pillar_Point) January 19, 2016I have nothing but the greatest admiration & respect for MLK. My last post was insensitive & I apologize to anyone who I offended. So sorry.
— Zac Efron (@ZacEfron) January 19, 2016But that's not the only reason fans were upset with the Neighbors 2 star.
Efron was noticeably absent from the taping of the High School Musical 10-year reunion special, which brought back Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman all together again.
However, Troy Bolton fans were later reassured when it was announced that Efron will join in a pre-taped message.
The High School Musical special telecast will air Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on the Disney Channel.
