National Walkout Day: Hollywood Stars Praise Lone Student Protester at North Carolina School

Celebrity By TooFab Staff |

A student who said he was the only one to walk out of a North Carolina high school is earning praise from some people in very high places.

"A Wrinkle in Time" director Ava DuVernay, Chelsea Clinton, Samantha Bee's TBS late-night series "Full Frontal," Alyssa Milano and "Orange Is the New Black" star Danielle Brooks are among those giving 16-year-old Justin Blackman props for walking out of class Wednesday in support of National Walkout Day, when students across the country left their schools for 17 minutes in honor of the 17 people killed during the mass shooting last month in Parkland, Florida.

The teenager posted a selfie-style video on the social media platform, describing and showing the desolate scene outside his school.

"There's gonna be like six people watching this, hopefully. But it's National Walkout Day, I'm the only one from my school out here. Nobody here but me," he said in the video that has been viewed over 438,000 times and garnered over 33,600 likes so far. "I'm in Spanish class right now. He let me walk out, he didn't really care."

It's not immediately clear what school he goes to, but according to his Twitter profile, he lives in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Goldsboro High, however, posted photos showing other students participating in the protest. There are at least two other schools in the same area, though.

Here's some of the praise he's getting from celebrities.

All of the attention has inspired Blackman to go from expecting six people to pay attention to him to "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

Blackman may have been alone outside his school for 17 minutes Wednesday, but scenes from schools around the country show thousands of students standing with him in spirit. Even DeGeneres and her staff, who walked out of their studio in solidarity with the students.

Even Viacom networks -- including channels MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central -- participated in the movement by going dark for 17 minutes this morning around 10 a.m., when the walkouts were planned.

See more scenes of students in action, plus what other Hollywood stars are supporting them, below.

14 Concert and Nightclub Tragedies View Photos
Getty