This High-Profile Celeb Refuses To Self-Quarantine

The seriousness of the COVID-19 coronavirus is sinking in for a lot of people. As the virus continues to spread to various countries on a global scale, the public has begun going through extreme measures to self-quarantine. The art of social distancing has become the norm, and of course, we've all been meticulously washing our hands. While some celebrities have been dishing out solid advice to their fans and urging them to take the pandemic seriously, others have been, well, not so helpful. From NBA player Rudy Gobert's painfully misguided attempt at a joke by touching every microphone at a press conference after which he tested positive for the virus to O.J. Simpson stockpiling on toilet paper and firing out tasteless tweets, it looks like even Hollywood is filled with folks who should be taking things a bit more seriously. Lost lead actress Evangeline Lilly made waves on March 6, 2020, when she took to her Instagram for a candid post regarding her tumultuous year. She wrote in part, "I had such a rough year last year but I didn't want to share all of it with you because I didn't want to be a dark cloud in your world. [...] But I struggle deeply with feeling that all I ever am is what I feel everyone else wants and needs me to be. I often feel alone and unseen." Well, Lilly was undoubtedly seen and heard loud and clear a few weeks later after the novel coronavirus became a global pandemic. Over a couple of pictures of a cup of tea on Instagram, she wrote, "Just dropped my kids off at gymnastics camp. They all washed their hands before going in. They are playing and laughing. businessasusual." The response to her post was less than positive, with many commenters blasting the actress for using her platform to downplay the pandemic. In response to the criticism, she appeared to double down, asserting that her family would not be self-quarantining. She wrote, "I think we all need to slow down, take a breath and look at the facts we are being presented with. They do not add up to the all-out, global lockdown, control, pandemoniac and insanity we are experiencing." Oh boy. Claiming that she values her freedom too much to engage in social distancing, the post naturally infuriated her fans. As one user reportedly wrote, "Imagine being this privileged and selfish." Lilly's stance on the coronavirus pandemic wasn't just met with criticism from the public. She also drew the attention of some other high-profile celebs. Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner took to her Instagram on March 20, 2020 to livestream some strong words to all the COVID-19 naysayers and many believe she took a direct shot at the Ant-Man actress with the help of some pretty wild filters. As Turner pointed out, taking a cavalier attitude to the virus doesn't just endanger yourself it endangers vulnerable people around you, who may get sick even if you don't. She finished her message with some sound advice, saying simply, "Stay inside, guys." Viewers turned out to be overjoyed at the stance Turner was taking but she wasn't just talking about Evangeline Lilly. While the Wasp actress' laissez-faire approach to the coronavirus has left some fans hurt and upset, she's not the only A-lister making waves with her opinions. On March 16, 2020, High School Musical alum Vanessa Hudgens posted a bewilderingly insensitive livestream on her Instagram page where she declared, hair flip and all, "I'm sorry, but like, it's a virus. [...] People are gonna die, which is terrible, but inevitable." Since posting the video, Hudgens has had to backtrack with an apology. Taking to her Twitter, the actress shared, "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." Unfortunately for Hudgens, the damage was already done, and as one Twitter user harshly put it, "Can't believe the first COVID celebrity death was Vanessa Hudgens' career." As for Lilly, she has yet to offer any further statement after the backlash. #Quarantine #Covid19 #EvangelineLilly