American actress Ashley Judd is taking a stand against anonymous Twitter users who harass her online by filing police reports against them.

The 46-year-old Divergent star said she received an “absolutely extraordinary” amount of sexual abuse online, with anonymous trolls often calling her a c***.

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Judd said she was threatened with sexual violence after tweeting about the American college basketball tournament, March Madness.

“The amount of gender violence I experience is absolutely extraordinary,” Judd told US show Today.

“A significant part of my day today will be spent filing police reports at home about gender violence that’s directed at me on social media.

“Everyone needs to take personal responsibility for what they write, and not allow this misinterpretation and shaming culture on social media to persist. And by the way, I’m pressing charges.”

When when I express a stout opinion during #MarchMadness I am called a whore, c—, threatened with sexual violence. Not okay. — ashley judd (@AshleyJudd) March 15, 2015

The actress often shares the explicit messages with her followers, with one tweet reading: “Go suck on Cal’s two inch d**k ye Bitch w***e”.

Incredibly, one US Fox News host excused the abuse against Judd and said she had to accept it if she was going to tweet about the March Madness tournament.

“She doesn’t have a case because it’s March Madness,” host Mark Fuhrman said.

“It’s college basketball. It’s the playoffs. All bets are off, all laws don’t apply.

“During basketball, during March Madness, if you don’t want to play then shut up.”

Other female celebrities have spoken about the abuse they receive online, with rapper Iggy Azalea saying she found social media “too negative and draining”.