As we remain thoroughly and responsibly distanced from our friends and family during this difficult time, let us remember that the PR reps for some of Hollywood’s stars are also stuck in their respective homes, adjusting like the rest of us. This means that we’ll likely see more celebrities tweeting before they think (or are appropriately intervened) over the next few weeks. Vanessa Hudgens has already jumped ahead of the curve by publicly working out one of the silliest (and most dangerous???) takes on the quickly spreading coronavirus that we’ve heard yet, which she quickly walked back this afternoon.
During a now-deleted Instagram Live session, Hudgens appeared to be writing off the most recent assessments of this potentially fatal virus, including Donald Trump’s comments that this period of quarantine could last into July or possibly August: “Yeah, ‘till July sounds like a bunch of bullshit. I’m sorry. It’s a virus, I get it. I respect it. But at the same time, like, even if everybody gets it... like, yeah, people are gonna die, which is terrible but, like, inevitable?” By the end of the clip she appears to recognize that she shouldn’t have unleashed such nonsense unto her unsuspecting followers, saying that she “probably shouldn’t be doing this.”
Hudgens rescinded her comments this afternoon, stating that her very clear, not-at-all-ambiguous assertions were “taken out of context.” She also wants to assure everyone that she is staying inside during this “crazy, crazy time” along with the majority of us. “Stay inside, y’all,” she advises. For good measure, she also posted an apology via Twitter and called her comments, which were apparently made on Monday, “insensitive and not at all appropriate.”
All of this is such a drastic change from her stance just four days ago, when she posted a screen shot of her donation to Feeding America, where she rightfully noted that the coronavirus had a “disproportionate impact on adults age 60 and older,” and would likely devastate low income families. so should we attribute this gaffe to a mere lapse in judgement or a generally dickish attitude? Either way, we hope this is a lesson for everyone: We have nothing but time on our hands these days, which allows us plenty of seconds to pause before we post.