Who did China Anne McClain play in The Descendants series? Hawaii turtles controversy explained as Disney star issues apology
China Anne McClain was recently involved in a controversy after she went viral for a video on March 4, 2025, featuring her touching a resting sea turtle when she was on a vacation in Hawaii. While her actions were also criticized by Josh Green, the Governor of Hawaii, the actress has now apologized for the same.
Notably, the viral video featured China with her sister, Sierra McClain. The duo shared a statement with the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, also called DLNR, a day after the controversy happened, as per People magazine. The statement reads:
“I was not fully aware of the situation until today, and I certainly wasn’t aware of the laws. It’s the people I don’t want to hurt. I understand respecting culture, and I understand the pain that comes with not having your culture respected. Those are never lines that we cross intentionally, so that part of this situation is hurting us right now.”
China Anne McClain, who is known for playing Uma in The Descendants, a film franchise by Disney, mentioned that she has a lot of love for the turtles and the Hawaiian residents. On the other hand, Sierra also said:
“We have an immense amount of respect for the residents of Hawai’i and their intent to safeguard their land & their wildlife, and we plan to take the necessary precautions in the future when traveling.”
Apart from this, China Anne McClain's father, Michael McClain, said in another statement that the entire family feels sorry for "causing this pain" to Hawaii. He added that they have a lot of love and respect for the people of the state. Michael further stated:
“We want people to know that China was not aware of the laws, and we appreciate that people and the agencies reached out.”
China Anne McClain apology: Video controversy explored
The video of the turtles, which was recorded by the Grown Ups star's sister, Sierra McClain, was shared through Instagram on March 5, 2025. It featured China touching six sea turtles, which eventually led to heavy criticism against the Black Lightning star.
According to the New York Post, the video was recorded at a Maui-based beach, and the turtles were sleeping when China Anne McClain went to touch them. Hawaii Governor Josh Green took to the comments section of the now-deleted post and told China to remove the clip:
“Aloha China, I urge you to educate yourself on Hawaii’s laws and the importance of protecting our marine life before visiting our islands,” Governor Josh Green added.
According to Newsweek, the video led to controversy since turtles are protected by federal and state laws for their conservation and well-being, which means they are not allowed to be touched. Apart from this, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources also has a rule that people need to maintain a distance of ten feet from the turtles.
Apart from her statement to DLNR, China Anne McClain apologized through a video on Instagram on March 5. She shared a message for her followers, telling them not to touch the turtles. While she confirmed once again that she was not aware of the rules, she continued by saying:
“I’m not shocked I got myself into this situation. If I was going to be in the news for anything, it would be for touching an animal I shouldn’t be touching.”
China was last seen in two films, including Descendants: The Rise of Red and Brewster’s Millions: Christmas. She is already popular among the audience for playing Jazmine Payne in Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Chyna Parks in A.N.T. Farm.
