The world may be in a state of absolute chaos, but even in a pandemic, one thing is always guaranteed: celebrity drama.
The coronavirus affects everyone, and even Hollywood’s finest are not immune. Although the fact that only the rich seemingly have access to testing feels a bit like a YA dystopian novel, celebrities have taken to social media and the trusty internet to voice their opinions, experiences, and unsolicited advice on COVID-19. Let’s take a look at a few examples—the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Imagine All the Ignorance
If you’re holed up at home repeatedly refreshing every social media platform every three seconds like I am, then you’re likely familiar with this star-studded Imagine cover. But if you’ve spent your quarantine under a rock (or on a silent meditation retreat like Jared Leto), Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot, rounded up a bunch of A-list celebrities, including Amy Adams, Kristen Wiig, and even Will Ferrell, to sing a cover of John Lennon’s Imagine as a message of hope in this time of crisis.
However, the cringe-worthy cover was not met with the reaction she’d hoped for.
https://twitter.com/CaseyCip/status/1240635733037252608
"Imagine" if celebrities came together to donate money/resources to people actually need it
I wonder if they can 🙂
— ✨ Caroline D Framke ✨ (@carolineframke) March 19, 2020
At least some good has come from Gadot’s attempt at world peace: the memes and reactions. John Mayer hilariously mocked the tone-deaf attempt at a sing-a-long, this group of friends created their own collective performance of Toni Collette’s Hereditary monologue, and this guy was unfortunately sent the wrong song.
Tannah’s TikTok Reunion
The best thing to come from this quarantine may just be the reunion of former Bachelorette Hannah Brown and runner-up Tyler Cameron, who are living the fanfiction dream of being forced into staying together and hopefully falling in love all over again. Let me know how one simple “flip the switch” TikTok is better than the entirety of Peter Weber’s season of The Bachelor.
Considering Clare Crawley’s season of The Bachelorette has been put on hold to wait out the pandemic, Brown and Cameron have taken to TikTok to save the day and give us fans all the dysfunctional, unrealistic relationship drama we guiltily desire. I know I’m not alone in hoping that Hannah comes out of this quarantine with a ring.
https://twitter.com/BrettSVergara/status/1240355402245705731
We’re All In This Together?
In the midst of an international crisis, let’s turn to the voices who we’re truly dying to hear from: the stars of High School Musical. Vanessa Hudgens has landed herself in hot water for giving her opinion on the coronavirus pandemic on an Instagram live session. As Hudgens so eloquently put it, “Like, yeah, people are gonna die, which is terrible, but, like… inevitable?” Yikes.
Not all the stars were as inconsiderate as Hudgens. Thankfully, Ashley Tisdale took to TikTok to save the day, just as she single-handedly carried the entire HSM franchise as Sharpay Evans (Sharpay > Gabriella). Tisdale posted a video performing the iconic “We’re All in This Together” choreography (yes, I know every move and religiously followed the dance-along).
What makes this even better is the responses from other cast members to serve up a healthy dose of nostalgia. Bart Johnson and Kaycee Stroh reprised their roles as Coach Bolton and Martha Cox to hop on the bandwagon for this quarantine anthem. What team? (Editor’s note: Wildcats.)
Inspirational Instagram Lives
https://www.instagram.com/tv/B920EARl9XS/
I’m sure you’re sick of seeing your friends going live on Instagram to document their quarantine routine, but some celebrities have taken to live sessions to use their platforms for good rather than mundane evil. NBA superstar Steph Curry set the example for celebrities to use their platform to raise awareness and spread scientific knowledge about the virus rather than perpetuate misunderstanding and paranoia. Curry hosted an Instagram live Q&A session with Dr. Anthony Fauci to answer frequently asked questions about COVID-19. Even Justin Bieber and Barack Obama were among the viewers.
Other celebrities have taken this quarantine as an opportunity to provide entertainment in the form of Instagram live concerts (finally, a show I can afford). Artists such as John Legend, Hozier, and Diplo are performing for their fans via Instagram live as a part of the #TogetherAtHome series—urging the public to stay home and practice responsible social distancing.
Miley Cyrus has also begun hosting a weekly Instagram live series “Bright Minded,” where other celebrities like Demi Lovato and Emily Osment join her to discuss a litany of topics and provide a bright spot in these dark times.
These are just some examples of how the rich and famous are reacting to something we all have to deal with—in their own rich and famous ways. What do you think? Are celebrities really just like us?
