Welcome to our top 10 tone roundup of the most cringeworthy celebrity coronavirus messages. When the world was scrambling for reliable information, some famous faces decided to share… well, let’s just say, questionable content. Below you’ll find each entry, complete with the original statements, the public backlash, and why these posts landed flat on their faces.
10 Madonna
Picture Madonna, her face freshly tightened, luxuriating in a marble bathtub that looks like it belongs in a palace. She’s essentially naked, save for a mountain of sparkling jewelry, surrounded by flickering candles and a haunting musical backdrop. Rose petals drift lazily through the milky water, offering just enough modesty to keep the clip “PG‑rated.”
The pop icon’s solemn tone is meant to underline the seriousness of her message. She declares, “[COVID‑19] doesn’t care about how rich you are, how famous you are, how funny you are, how smart you are, where you live, how old you are, what amazing stories you can tell. It’s the great equalizer, and what’s terrible about it is what’s great about it. What’s terrible about it is it’s made us all equal in many ways — and what’s wonderful about it is it’s made us all equal in many ways.” She wraps up with, “…if the ship goes down, we’re all going down together.”
Madonna followed the video with a still‑photo post of her bare self, strategically covered only by rose petals over her nipples. The caption read, “No discrimination — Covid‑19! #quarantine #covid_19 #staysafe.” A Twitter user responded:
“We are all equal”, said the woman surrounded with candies, floating in a basin of rose petals, very proud of herself and her epiphany that all is now balanced in this world. I’m going to vomit now.
— Thia is with Bernie????? (@ThiaBallerina) March 22, 2020
The 61‑year‑old diva has long championed staying home, yet many fans called her out for being out of touch:
- “You’re glad we’re all equal now — do you think someone in the slums of India is sitting in a tub full of rose petals? Delete your account.” @RieMcAz
- “I always bathe in full makeup and jewelry surrounded by out‑of‑season flower petals.” @YourMajistiness
- “I’m a little sick of the wealthy right now….” @gizmorivera
- “Meanwhile, some are out there with bare essentials and she’s posted petaled nipples. Stop it, Madonna. I love ya girl but stop.” @jacksonleylidia
- “Sorry my queen, love u so much, but we’re not equal. The poor will suffer the most. Do not romanticize this tragedy.”
Madonna later deleted the video, but as the internet proves, nothing truly disappears.
9 Vanessa Hudgens
You can’t unring a bell, and you certainly can’t erase Vanessa Hudgens’ off‑the‑cuff comments about COVID‑19. During an Instagram Live, she mused, “Um, yeah, ’til July sounds like a bunch of bullshit. I’m sorry, but like, it’s a virus, I get it, like, I respect it. But at the same time I’m like, even if everybody gets it, like yeah, people are going to die, which is terrible but like, inevitable? I don’t know. [laughs] Maybe I shouldn’t be doing this right now.”
Can’t believe the first COVID celebrity death was Vanessa Hudgens’ career
— Emily Andras (@emtothea) March 17, 2020
One day later, the High School Musical alum issued an apology on Twitter, claiming the clip was taken out of context: “Hey guys. I’m so sorry for the way I have offended anyone and everyone who has seen the clip from my Instagram live yesterday. I realize my words were insensitive and not at all appropriate for the situation our country and the world are in right now. This has been a huge wake‑up call about the significance my words have, now more than ever. I’m sending safe wishes to everyone to stay safe and healthy during this crazy time.”
Hey Vanessa, this is my son, Jace. AKA quite possibly one of the “inevitable deaths” were he to catch COVID‑19 being as he has respiratory issues which have hospitalized him multiple times already. Anyway, we want to say sorry that you’re stuck in your mansion! ?
— Lauren™???? (@Happily_Larry_) March 17, 2020
The backlash was swift:
- “Am I the only one that thinks Vanessa Hudgens can say all this insensitive garbage about the coronavirus and still get a test kit before us?” @AngelaBelcamino
- “As someone who has supported some of your work, it’s deeply disappointing. There are millions of people being impacted not just from the virus but also the collateral damage. Try seeing beyond your own robust privilege in the future, especially with such a large platform.” @FredTJoseph
- “My head scarf, my adrenal system, and my suppressed immune system do not accept your apology. I wish you safety and good health and hope your insensitivity did not bring you harmful karma. I hope you genuinely learned from this.” @washurhandsmans
- “‘I am sorry I offended anyone’ is very different from ‘gosh was I wrong.’” @Grady_Booch
8 Gal Gadot
Gal Gadot, famed for playing Wonder Woman, tried to channel her inner superhero with a pandemic‑era sing‑along. Inspired by an Italian trumpeter who performed John Lennon’s “Imagine” for his quarantined neighbors, Gadot rallied a host of celebrities—including Sia, Zoe Kravitz, Jimmy Fallon, and Will Ferrell—to join her. The result? A well‑intentioned but painfully tone‑deaf rendition that felt more like a middle‑school slideshow than a global anthem.
“Literally and figuratively tone‑deaf, edited with the finesse of a middle schooler making a vacation slideshow on 2002 software, this ‘#Imagine’ somehow made a global pandemic feel even more hopeless than it already does” ~quality napalm from @SKornhaber
— Rob?n Farzad (@robenfarzad) March 23, 2020
The lyrics, while hopeful, missed the mark for a world grappling with job loss, hospital shortages, and mounting anxiety. Critics pointed out the stark contrast between the celebrities’ comfortable mansions and the everyday workers forced to stay home:
- “We are not in this together. You’re incredibly rich and have access to the best medical care. This is some Marie Antoinette level of tone‑deafness.” @courneythebaker
- “Wow, this is truly awful. While you’re all sitting around in your mansions bored while your staff tend to your every need, the rest of us are wondering how we’re going to pay the rent this month and how we’ll rebuild our lives again. *You are certainly not part of us that are all in it together.*” @lorenpeta
- “Glad you have time to feel philosophical while most of us are feeling anxious and afraid.” @thewoodlands
- “Imagine there’s no hunger? Yeah, I don’t think you can cause you’ll all be fine while the rest of us suffer.” @nikkikittums
- “Thank god the rich are singing for us I was worried for a second.” @juice_wagon
- “You can’t advocate for world togetherness from an ivory tower, I’m afraid.” @ellyleggatt
- “Imagine front‑line health‑care workers not having enough safety equipment while a bunch of smug celebrities sang an awful song.” @susieherbertlight
- “I’m sure the peasants appreciate being rejected for testing while celebs can get a test without any symptoms. You’re going to great keep it up we love being patronized.” @swagittarius001
7 Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell’s pre‑pandemic germ‑phobic airplane routine was already headline‑making, but she turned the spotlight up a notch when the virus hit. Rather than stay home, she boarded a flight on March 10, fully decked out in latex gloves, safety goggles, a face mask, and a full‑body hazmat suit. She captioned the Instagram snap, “Safety First NEXT LEVEL.”
Critics weren’t amused. They argued that by traveling at all, Campbell risked becoming a carrier, and by hoarding PPE, she was depriving frontline workers of essential gear. The backlash was fierce:
- “You’re ignorant and entitled.” @janeygirl56
- “A mask is for infected people to prevent the virus from spreading, not for healthy ones.” @sevillacabanis.peggy
- “I am a nurse. My hospital can’t get N95s. Patients keep coming. Without masks, because photos like this have eliminated them for healthcare workers.” @spinnstar
6 Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow’s pandemic‑era mask selfies became a recurring theme. First, she posted a photo from a flight to Paris, captioned: “En route to Paris. Paranoid? Prudent? Panicked? Placid? Pandemic? Propaganda? Paltrow’s just going to go ahead and sleep with this thing on the plane. I’ve already been in this movie [Contagion]. Stay safe. Don’t shake hands. Wash hands frequently.”
Months later, she was still posting mask‑filled snaps—this time from a local farmer’s market—detailing how she followed protocol while buying fresh herbs. Followers quickly called her out for flaunting PPE during a shortage:
- “Are you serious? The mask isn’t to protect you from people with corona. The masks are for people who have the disease and wish not to infect anyone. Wake up Sheeple.” @dankje_hd
- “A great way to stay healthy is to not go to a highly populated area. Mask or not. That is real. Empathy would imply you had an understanding of others, it seems as though you may be lacking in that.” @misskelg
- “Would be great if you could invest into safety and equipment for the front line staff in healthcare and other emergency services.” @v_nik_a
5 Selena Gomez
The WHO’s #SafeHands challenge encouraged everyone to showcase proper hand hygiene. Selena Gomez, with a massive following, attempted the challenge but her video revealed a series of baffling missteps. She admitted in the caption that she “had to redo this video so many times.” Viewers noted multiple errors: turning the faucet off, then on again with clean hands, only to use a napkin to turn it off again—effectively re‑contaminating her hands.
Fans quickly called her out:
- “This is ALL WRONG?? Why would you turn the water off just to turn it back on with your CLEAN hands?? Then you turn it off with the napkin just to CONTAMINATE your hands. Stay home, @selenagomez, it’s definitely your safest option.” @kaygoddess_
- “You’re supposed to dry your hands and THEN shut the faucet off #FAIL.” @marisaluisaa
4 Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger, ever the disaster‑prep enthusiast, tried to blend his larger‑than‑life persona with public‑health messaging. From his kitchen, he posted videos sharing lunch with his pony, Whiskey, and his donkey, Lulu, both munching on spinach from his plate. Followers found the juxtaposition oddly comforting, yet others felt his tone was out of touch.
He also posted a clip titled “Stay. At. Home. That means you, too, spring breakers,” where he lounged in a jacuzzi and smoked a cigar. Critics argued that his opulent setting ignored the struggles of ordinary people:
?”Staying at home would be much easier if we were all millionaires with jacuzzis, stogies and no worries. Most of us are scared we’re going to lose jobs, income, not afford food etc,” one user wrote.
— Dumbala The Benevolent? (@Zee_Germans_) March 21, 2020
- “Arnold, I appreciate your messaging here, but not everyone lives in a mansion with unlimited resources. You’re right in the message itself, but less grandstanding would seem a bit more genuine.” @edwardebrowden
- “Easy for you to say. Some people still have to earn their money and pay bills.” @ValeriRX
- “I’m tired of these assholes sending this message from the comfort of their spa with millions in the bank when so many of us are wondering if tomorrow will be the last day of our employment.” @lmarts1017
3 Jameela Jamil
Jameela Jamil, known for outspoken activism, sparked controversy with a tweet that suggested COVID‑19 was Mother Nature’s “clap back” for humanity’s environmental sins. She wrote, “I can’t help but wonder if this virus is the clap back from Mother Nature we were waiting for. She wants us to stop moving and consuming or she’s going to f*ck us all up. Wishing endurance, strength, and patience to those affected by Corona. It’s all really scary.”
The tweet was quickly deleted, and Jamil’s timeline shifted to sharing practical pandemic‑help tips.
2 Joe Giudice
Joe Giudice, former reality‑TV husband, has a long record of flouting authority. In a March 10 Instagram post, he wrote, “More people die from Viagra (heart attacks and drug overdose) everyday than this Corona virus. People here are frantic because government is ridiculous with [lock] down!!!! Sorry Lock down not for me Never again!!!!! Stay safe [world] eat healthy, exercise, and no shaking hands. #coronavirus #staysafeoutthere #lockdownnotcool #awarenessiskey #washhands.”
The response was immediate:
- “Sorry Joe but you really need to treat this virus with respect… @sarahallison8046
- The reason it spreads is because people ignore quarantines and lockdowns. Maybe you’re not worried about YOU but think about others, Joe.” @nosillamp
- “Therein lies the problem for you. You’re in a predicament in Italy because you refused to follow the rules/laws. Stop believing you’re exempt and take precautions for the sake of your children. Humble yourself.” @sharene.c
1 Evangeline Lilly
Evangeline Lilly, beloved for her role on Lost, drew fire for openly dismissing pandemic precautions. On March 16, she posted a picture of a tea cup with the caption, “#morningtea Just dropped my kids off at gymnastics camp. They all washed their hands before going in. They are playing and laughing. #businessasusual.” She added, “where we are right now feels a lot too close to Martial Law.”
The backlash erupted into a #unfollowevangelinelilly campaign. Critics slammed her for endangering others and for appearing to prioritize personal freedom over public health:
- “So incredibly selfish and irresponsible.” @lesleyannbrandt
- “I plan on not seeing anything you’re in. I hope others do the same.” @theycallmeamy007
- “Your choices can kill people. Beyond selfish.” @simplynaturalevents
- “I had to lay off 150 people today in person, one by one. But glad your life is #businessasusual and you’re enjoying your cup of tea. Stay tone‑deaf and continue to be part of the problem.” @hopesdaddy11
- “We have lost more people than US in 9/11. Cheers from Italy. Enjoy your tea.” @thefakerael
- “This isn’t about YOU or your kids need to go to gymnastics camp. This is about doing the responsible thing to NOT INFECT OTHERS… @happhealthfreak
With her father battling leukemia, the criticism hit especially hard, highlighting the personal stakes of ignoring safety protocols.
Why This Is a Top 10 Tone Moment
Each of the entries above showcases how even the most famous individuals can miss the mark when trying to comment on a global crisis. Their messages—whether filmed in marble bathtubs, delivered from luxury kitchens, or posted from airplane seats—often ignored the very real hardships faced by everyday people. The collective reaction underscores a simple truth: during a pandemic, authenticity, humility, and genuine concern matter far more than glossy production values.