Madelyn Cline Says Navigating Social Media Has Been an 'Ongoing Struggle' After 'Outer Banks' Fame

Madelyn Cline is learning the downside to living her life in the spotlight.

The Outer Banks made an appearance on Dear Media's Ready, Set, Spill podcast, where she opened up about the difficulties of navigating social media after skyrocketing to fame on the Netflix series. Cline said she struggles with the "lack of anonymity."

"Everybody has an opinion about everything…and that's totally fine," she said. "Everybody is totally entitled to their opinions, but sometimes it is hard because it feels like, you know, you can't…"

Host Lindsey Carter offered an explanation: "hear your own thoughts?"

"Exactly," Cline, 24, confirmed. "That's exactly what it feels like. And I care so much about what everybody thinks. So sometimes I have to take a step back and remove myself."

"It's been an ongoing struggle for me, juggling social media, because of that," she added.

But it isn't all bad. Cline also spoke about the benefits of social media, which allow her to connect to fans around the world. "I love to interact with comments and see what everybody's doing," she said. "But it's been hard for me to adjust because the reality is it's not reality. It's filtered reality."

Cline is currently gearing up for the third season of Outer Banks, which began production in February.

Set in the Outer Banks islands off the coast of North Carolina, the show follows a group of four friends who stumble upon a treasure map — and with it, a bunch of alarming small-town secrets. The show became an instant hit when season 1 premiered in April 2020 and kept its momentum going throughout season 2, which hit the streaming service in July 2021.

In January, Cline addressed rumors that she would be leaving Outer Banks after season three.

"Hi so I'm getting asked if s3 is my final season of obx," Cline, 24, wrote in a since-deleted Instagram Story post. "I will come back for as many seasons as they will have me. I love my job and there's not a day that goes by that I'm not grateful for it, and for everyone who has watched it."

She continued, "Not everything you read on the internet is true."