In the U.S., COVID-19 has halted all activities. The CDC has recommended that all citizens, including celebrities, stay home to “flatten the curve” and lower the number of cases. Throughout this whole situation, celebrities have expressed their thoughts online, many facing backlash because their comments seem “tone-deaf.”
    Backlash has arisen from celebrities complaining about their quarantine situations, despite living in homes worth millions of dollars with access to a pool, gym, movie theater, etc. Celebrities have complained and had mental breakdowns on live streams. Recently, Ellen DeGeneres has come under fire for comparing the circumstances to “being in jail.” This sparked backlash because in contrast to her conditions in her multimillion dollar Beverly Hills mansion, the prison system faces poor conditions and a rise in COVID-19 cases since inmates cannot practice social distancing. 

     On the other hand, celebrities like Kylie Jenner, have emphasized that people should quarantine and that being stuck at home is not that bad. She explained how she, in a way, had prepared for quarantine while being pregnant, since she did not leave her house so she could  hide her pregnancy. Criticism of these comments arose on social media because people brought up the fact that her home has so many amenities that make  it easy for her to stay at home. Meanwhile, working citizens struggle during quarantine since many cannot work, or many of their houses just have the bare necessities to live, making it harder to stay at home. 

     In addition, many of the celebrities’ complaints seem to not take into account the severity of the situation. Vanessa Hudges received heavy criticism due to her comments that Coachella should still happen because “people are going to die regardless.” She later apologized, saying she acknowledged that her words were “insensitive.” Many called the comments “out-of-touch” since her concerns consisted of a cancellation of a music festival,  while citizens around the nation worry about keeping their jobs. 

      Users online have taken to criticize the lack of effort many celebrities have put into aiding those in need during the pandemic. Gal Gadot made a star-studded video of stars covering John Lennon’s song “Imagine.” Though the video had good intentions, it received heavy criticism due to the fact it did nothing to help the pandemic. Users believed a better way for these celebrities to help would have been through donating to relief efforts.

     The pandemic has shed light on the fact that celebrities live out-of-touch lives. They do not realize the extent of suffering this pandemic has caused working class families, since those concerns do not affect them directly. They make posts during these trying times believing these posts would help when in reality, they do not.