Editorial

Here’s All The Celebrities Who Have Lost Their Minds During The Coronavirus Quarantine

OPINION
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Lauryn Overhultz Columnist
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While many have turned to the internet for support during this time of social distancing, some celebrities have used this as a time to give us the world’s worst content during COVID-19.

There are great examples of celebrities figuring out the best ways to help by donating money or waiving rent payments for tenants, but other celebrities can’t seem to get it right when it comes to helping out the community.

First we’ll start with actress Vanessa Hudgens. During an Instagram live pretty early on in this whole mess, she stated that social distancing until July was “bullshit.” Nobody knows for sure if we’ll be social distancing still in July, but President Donald Trump didn’t rule it out during a briefing on March 16.

“Um, yeah, ’til July sounds like a bunch of bulls**t,” she said of the potential timeline given by Trump. “I’m sorry, but like, it’s a virus, I get it, like, I respect it, but at the same time I’m like, even if everybody gets it, like yeah, people are going to die, which is terrible but like, inevitable?”

Not the best thing to say to all of your fans whose livelihoods have been completely disrupted by COVID-19. The very next day Hudgens was back to change her pace a little and encourage her followers to quarantine. (RELATED: Vanessa Hudgens Backtracks After Saying Social Distancing Until July Is ‘Bullsh*t’)

“So yesterday I did an Instagram live and today I realized some of my comments are being taken out of context,” she said in a video uploaded to her Instagram story.

“I am at home and in lockdown and I hope that’s what you guys are doing too, in full quarantine and staying safe and sane,” Hudgens continued. “I don’t take this situation lightly by any means. I am home, so stay inside, y’all.”

Needless to say, we haven’t seen much coronavirus content from Hudgens anymore.

We also got the weirdest video of Kristin Chenoweth singing opera-like high notes and wiping down surfaces with disinfecting wipes, that people can’t get their hands on because they are sold out at every major grocery store.

“We need a rescue mission for all the personal assistants trapped in quarantine w/their celebrity clients to film their coronavirus content,” a user tweeted along with the video.

This video isn’t as bad as Hudgens’ flub, but why in the world would we need a video like this during a time when most Americans are out of a job or at least struggling with job security. Which brings us to the next bit of terrible coronavirus content.

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow suggested her followers try something new during quarantine such as learning a new language or writing a full book. Meanwhile, 18% of American households have reported job loss or reduced hours since the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, according to a NPR/Marist poll.

Her suggestions come off as tone deaf. Is she even reading or watching the news? The Senate passed a landmark $2 trillion stimulus deal Wednesday in an effort to help American workers and businesses during the potential collapse of our economy.

View this post on Instagram

@bradfalchuk and I were grateful to learn our local farmers market was open this morning; we walked there (keeping lots of distance) and donned masks and gloves once we got nearer to the market, only taking them off when we were almost home and there were no other pedestrians in close proximity. Yesterday I heard tales of crowded hiking trails and parks. Although we are all on a learning curve and aren’t always perfect as we figure out this temporary new normal, we must take the orders seriously and not abuse the freedoms we still have; grocery store and essential errand runs, bike rides or walks (being disciplined about correct protocol). It’s not the time for denial. We must take this seriously and shelter in place. It’s time for nesting, reading, cleaning out closets, doing something you’ve always wanted to do (write a book, learn an instrument or a language or learn to code online, draw or paint) going through photos, cooking, and reconnecting on a deeper level with the people you love. I find hope in the generosity, love, protection and care I see and feel through out our country everyday and my heart goes out to everyone directly affected or simply in fear. We will get through and I bet you our humanity will shine like never before ❤️

A post shared by Gwyneth Paltrow (@gwynethpaltrow) on

“We must take this seriously and shelter in place,” Paltrow captioned a photo of herself wearing a mask and gloves on the way home from a farmer’s market. “It’s time for nesting, reading, cleaning out closets, doing something you’ve always wanted to do (write a book, learn an instrument or a language or learn to code online, draw or paint) going through photos, cooking, and reconnecting on a deeper level with the people you love.”

The biggest tone deaf video of all came from supermodel Gal Gadot. She gathered up all her celebrity friends, including Jamie Dornan, Natalie Portman, Zoe Kravitz, Sia, Lynda Carter, Amy Adams, Mark Ruffalo, Ashley Benson, to put together a video montage of John Lennon’s song “Imagine.”

Seeing celebrities sing lines like…

“Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world”

didn’t sit well with the American public.

Madonna even gave us something literally nobody out there asked for, a video of her in a bathtub philosophizing about the coronavirus, which has since been deleted. This truly is one of the most bizarre things that has ever been put on the internet.

“That’s the thing about Covid-19, it doesn’t care about how rich you are, how famous you are, how funny you are, how smart you are, where you live, how old you are, what amazing stories you can tell,” Madonna said in the video.

“It’s the great equalizer and what’s terrible about it is what’s great about it,” she added. “What’s terrible about it is that it has made us all equal in many ways and what’s wonderful about it is that it’s made us all equal in many ways … Like I used to say at the end of ‘Human Nature’ every night, we are all in the same boat. And if the ship goes down, we’re all going down together.”

I get that it’s going to affect everyone, but is there anything you can donate to help it affect less people, Madonna?

Lastly, we have this really weird video, that has since been deleted, of actress Priyanka Chopra clapping for nobody on her balcony. The video showed Chopra clapping for ten seconds alone on her balcony in an effort to show her thanks for first responders and healthcare workers.

Isn’t there a better way to show support for our communities during the COVID-19 outbreak than through these examples of the worst quarantine content on the internet? There has to be another way.