Now, this is a hot take on the coronavirus nobody asked for…
Former Fifth Harmony star Lauren Jauregui has recently come under fire for promoting an anti-vax video on Instagram which suggests the novel coronavirus was caused by flu vaccines. Despite how ridiculous the notion sounds and that there’s no evidence to support the dangerous claim, the 23-year-old singer seems convinced she understands something about the global pandemic that others don’t!
Related: Rihanna Slams Album Talk & Focuses On COVID-19 Relief Efforts Instead!
It would be one thing if Lauren shared reputable information from the CDC, WHO, or even a press-conference from President Donald Trump and Dr. Fauci — at least the latter would be subject to some fact-checking. Instead, the starlet shared a nine-minute clip from an IG user named @dt.smiler, who already has quite a few COVID-19 conspiracy theories uploaded to their account:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-4YPRBJ5LR/
Jauregui not only reposted the video to her IG story, but she also added that enforcing vaccinations is just government propaganda, “freedom stripping,” and that “we’ll see whatsup when we wake the f**k up” one day.”
Uhh, seriously?!?! This girl has almost 8 million followers and spreading this kind of message while people are fighting for their lives is seriously problematic on so many levels. She’s entitled to her opinion — but it’s arguably a bad one! As we mentioned, fans immediately took to Twitter and slammed the controversial comments:
not her calling vaccines “freedom stripping” and commenting real af ???????????? she’s insane she’s literally insane pic.twitter.com/mI2KuvoQfK
— hi liv ???? (@sharpobjects) April 12, 2020
After receiving backlash for sharing the gravely misinformed and ignorant video, Lauren apologized by saying sorry that people are “misreading” what parts of the video she agreed with and clarified that she’s pro-choice:
“I’m sorry if anyone was offended by anything in the video I reposted on my story. I am not personally ‘anti’ anything, I am & will always be pro choice & autonomy. I don’t believe anything should be enforced upon anyone.”
But then she doubled-down on the conspiracy theory claims she does support:
“I’m pro do whatever you think is best for you & your fam, personal decisions b/w you, your dr. and partner. That video is 9 mins long & covered a range of topics. The point that I agree w/ is that fear mongering & propaganda have us all allowing the stripping of our human rights.”
I’m pro do whatever you think is best for you & your fam, personal decisions b/w you, your dr. and partner. That video is 9 mins long & covered a range of topics. The point that I agree w/ is that fear mongering & propaganda have us all allowing the stripping of our human rights.
— Lauren Jauregui (@LaurenJauregui) April 13, 2020
Jauregui apologized again and said she appreciated being held accountable on her massive platform:
“If you associate me with irresponsibility because of someone else’s beliefs, I can’t really stop you from having your opinion. But I did want to clarify and, again, apologize for any misreading of what point I agreed with. Sending love and appreciate being held accountable.”
The Work From Home crooner added:
“I’m aware that I have a large platform and that it is easy to be misunderstood, so I hope this clears any mess up. Anyway, wishing you love, health and peace goodnight!”
I’m aware that I have a large platform and that it is easy to be misunderstood, so I hope this clears any mess up. Anyway, wishing you love, health and peace???? goodnight!
— Lauren Jauregui (@LaurenJauregui) April 13, 2020
Unfortunately for her, that wasn’t enough to keep angry fans at bay! When a user pointed out that no one “misread” what point she agreed with and that it was dangerous she thought the video was “REAL AF” in the first place, the performer replied:
“I do think a lot of the points she was making in the video were ‘real af’. Again, she mentioned many different topics in the span of the 9 minute video, and I have, in this statement, made clear that my views are mine and hers are hers whilst apologizing for the confusion.”
Yeah, sure. We heard you loud and clear the first and time and someone please, get this girl some facts!
Vaccinations affect not just the person getting (or not getting) vaccinated, but also everyone else they come into contact with casually — especially people with low or compromised immune systems who are susceptible to the spread of disease. The same logic could be applied to the spread of the novel coronavirus; spreading this kind of message does nothing to help the current health crisis or her brand, for that matter!
Let this serve as a cautionary tale about taking suggestions from celebrities online… not all advice is good advice.
[Image via WENN/Instar]