Actress Courteney Cox tried making fans laugh by posting a video of herself pretending her home was flooded, but ended up pissing off fans in the process.
The “Friends” alum uploaded a video Feb. 8, with the assistance of an artificial intelligence filter, as she pretended to navigate hip-high water inside her home as she sought to rescue her dog. She may have thought she was being funny, but some fans were deeply offended, and accused her of mocking California’s recent heavy rainfall and the real flooding issues that devastate many citizens.
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The video shows the star pretending to search for her dog, then faking a rescue. She then moved around her house and settled on her armchair in the corner of the room. She pretended to be reading a book in a completely flooded room. The video then cut to a clip of Cox playing her piano underwater. Fans of her Instagram account know she frequently bangs out tunes on her piano, but this was her first underwater playing experience.
(Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Deadline Hollywood )
She then scooped floodwater into her cup and pretended to drink it.
“Finally getting used to the LA rain,” she wrote as the caption to her message.
The reference didn’t sit well with some fans that were quick to point out that they felt Cox was insensitively mocking their real-life experiences.
(Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images)
The Associated Press reported that Los Angeles mudslides and local damage were caused by “more than half the amount of rainfall the city typically gets in a season in just two days.”
“You do know that people have lost their homes due to floods, right?” one person wrote.
Another social media user commented by saying her post was “in poor taste.”
“For someone whose house has flooded, this is not appreciated,” said another person, which was followed by another social media user writing. “Wow. Amazingly tone deaf considering what other Southern Californians are going through.”
“As someone whose home was destroyed by hurricane flooding, I fail to see the humor in this, especially coming from a person of privilege,” another wrote.
There were a few fans that were able to get behind Cox’s humor and they rose to her defense.
“Our home was flooded during a hurricane and I am not offended by this post. It is creative and funny,” a person said.
A supported paused to write, “stop imposing our issues on other people. She has a right to post what she wants, and you have a right to not watch.” (RELATED: Courtney Cox Hysterically Mocks Gen Zers)
Another user wrote, “The internet is so sensitive now a days … it’s a funny video about bringing light to a dark situation going on. LAUGH PEOPLE.”