Vanessa Hudgens took to the infamous iPhone notes app to write an apology for her comments about the "inevitable" coronavirus death toll she carelessly joked about during her Instagram Live stream on Monday (March 16). During the Live interaction a fan of the 31-year-old actress, named Austin, revealed that he was being tested for COVID-19. Hudgens briefly addressed his comment before changing the topic, then circling back to the topic of the coronavirus when asked about a London trip she was hoping to attend was being postponed because of the pandemic outbreak of the disease.
The Thirteen actress ignorantly showed her disdain for her trip possibly being delayed for months due to the life-threatening virus as she referred to the pandemic as "a bunch of bullsh*t," stating:
"Um, yeah, till July sounds like a bunch of bullsh*t, I’m sorry. But like, it’s a virus, I get it, like, I respect it. But at the same time, like, even if everybody gets it, like, yeah, people are gonna die. Which is terrible, but like, inevitable? I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t be doing this right now."
Eventually, her insensitive comments made their way to Twitter, where Hudgens was faced with a tidal wave of criticism and backlash. Check out some of the Tweets below:
https://twitter.com/_/status/1239979121679249409
https://twitter.com/_/status/1239980470357680129
https://twitter.com/_/status/1239976252762509316
https://twitter.com/_/status/1239973718937329667
https://twitter.com/_/status/1239978903319519233
https://twitter.com/_/status/1239995152510353409
Despite the obvious backlash, Vanessa Hudgens then indirectly doubled down on her comments posting a video to her Instagram account in commemoration of St. Patrick's Day, saying, "I wish we were in a pub, but we’re not. Because, lockdown."
Eventually, one of her handlers, most likely her publicist informed her that her coronavirus death toll comments weren't going over too well with the general public, which prompted her to write a disingenuous apology via her notes app. The apology posted to her Twitter account, reads:
"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." Hudgens continues, "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."
Is Hudgens worthy of forgiveness? Of course. But people of her status should be more cognizant of the obstacles others face during such trying times, especially in the wake of a global pandemic. Check out the actress's apology in the Twitter post provided below.