The Strangest Things Celebs Are Doing During The Coronavirus Outbreak
In light of the novel coronavirus pandemic, it looks like absolutely everyone has something to say — even if it's celebs doling out some questionable advice. "[I'm] feeling everything that everyone out there is feeling: Confusion, stress," dished Reese Witherspoon to USA Today, adding, "I'm trying to look for the most scientific facts and not listen to too much opinion. I feel flooded by opinion."
Sure enough, it's easy to get wrapped up in all the hullabaloo, so some celebs have even taken to reassuring their fans with rational pearls of wisdom. Miley Cyrus decided to take a light-hearted approach, posting clips on Instagram of her younger self in a Hannah Montana scenes that showed her titular character's preoccupation with personal hygiene and inappropriate hoarding tendencies. In other good-guy related news, Lil Nas X tweeted out asking fans to leave their Cash App details, as he wants to send them money "to go get some food then stay inside."
While everyone has their own way of coping during such uneasy times, like Lizzo, who valiantly led a 30 minute mediation session to calm her anxious fans on Instagram, some of the things that A-listers are doing are downright bizarre. After you've washed your hands and checked in with your relatives, sit down and take a look at the strangest things celebs are doing during the coronavirus. But seriously, first, call your mom.
Weird flex, O.J., but okay
Disgraced former football star O.J. Simpson is no stranger to questionable antics – and we're not even talking about the so-called "Trial of the Century." Since his release from prison in 2017, Simpson has been living a relatively quiet life in Las Vegas, but bits of bizarre information about his personal life have been known to crop up on occasion, such as his tendency to "sign anything to make cash," according to Page Six.
2020 is no different when it comes to Simpson's bizarre behavior, and especially in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic, he has truly blossomed. In a since-deleted video he posted to Twitter, the former NFL star is seen spraying disinfectant on wads of cash. Uh, what? "They tell people not to shake hands and to disinfect surfaces," Simpson says to the camera, adding, "How do I know how many hands have touched this money?" Couldn't he have just washed his hands after touching the money? This just seems like Simpson is taking things a bit too far.
If you think spraying your cash with Lysol is weird, that's not all Simpson has been up to since the COVID-19 outbreak. The star also came under fire after he tweeted a photo of himself leaving Costco loaded up with supplies, including two 30-packs of toilet paper, multiple packs of bottled water, paper cups, and paper towels. He captioned the photo with, "Coronavirus? Who's afraid?" Seriously? Hoarding helps no one, O.J.
Octavia Spencer is well-dressed
Octavia Spencer has her own set of priorities during the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly, stocking up on ranch dressing. The Shape of Water starlet shared a photo of three full Hidden Valley ranch bottles on her Instagram page, with the caption: "Think I might have overemphasized my need for ranch dressing during the quarantine?" She then added the hilarious hashtags, "#3MoreInPantry #WillTradeRanchForToiletPaper," poking fun at the unusual toilet paper crisis during the current health emergency.
While Spencer's love for ranch dressing is definitely entertaining (and not really considered a "hoard," since ranch dressing isn't a necessity), the actress has also taken the time to share some useful tips, too. A few days after her initial condiment post, the celeb posted a photo of two crossed arms across a chest — a nod to Black Panther. "My new handshake for the next few months!" she wrote.
Although some may view Spencer's post as another light-hearted joke, it's actually quite smart. As the Centers for Disease Control notes, "avoid close contact with people who are sick," and make sure to "wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place." Shaking hands with people as a way of saying hello, is by these definitions, a no-no.
Arnold Schwarzenegger did promise he'd be back
Swapping machine guns for carrots, former Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger is determined to fight the novel coronavirus — with the help of his two mini horses, Whiskey and Lulu. "See, the important thing is that you stay at home," the former California governor advised in an odd Twitter video he posted with his animal friends, adding that there is a curfew in place now in light of the virus. Schwarzenegger was referring to California governor Gavin Newsom's request — which as of this writing "does not carry the force of law" (per Cal Matters) — that anyone past 65 refrain from leaving their homes.
For his part, the 72-year-old celeb seems perfectly content feeding carrots to his two tiny ponies, saying in the video, "Oh yes, that's yummy ... Lulu loves carrots, Whiskey loves carrots, I just had my little bit of vegan food. Oh, that was yummy, huh?" While Schwarzenegger's whole PSA is definitely bizarre, it's also incredibly heartwarming — and only gets better. Still addressing the camera and listing off all the public places people shouldn't visit, the former actor suddenly grabs Whiskey and Lulu and gives them each a hug, laughing and kissing them at the same time. The whole thing is just that pure.
Coming across as a lot more light-hearted in this video than in his iconic Terminator role, we're hoping Arnie will be back with more barnyard animals and pandemic tips.
Gwyneth Paltrow isn't going to wear just a regular face mask
Gwyneth Paltrow is known to come under fire for her sometimes-ignorant actions. In fact, in 2013, Star (via Time) labeled the Royal Tenenbaums actress as the "Most Hated Celebrity." In 2018, The New York Times noted that the "hatred used to feel personal" to Paltrow, but now she simply brushes it off. "I remember being like: Really? More than, like, Chris Brown? Me? Really? Wow," she told the outlet.
It looks like Paltrow has stopped wondering what the public thinks, and now just does what she wants, such as run her health and wellness website, Goop. The problem? The bizarre products on offer have been dubbed as "too expensive" by the masses, leading to the starlet getting criticized for "elitism," per The New York Times.
The coronavirus pandemic is no different when it comes to Paltrow's antics. What drew the ire of critics this time was her face mask selfie on Instagram, in which she doesn't don a run-of-the-mill version. No, no, instead, the Iron Man star opted for the $69 "Urban Air Mask 2.0," made by the Swedish company Airinum, which allegedly "introduces a whole new level of protection, breathability, and design."
While it's not a shocker that Paltrow went the luxe route here, it's problematic, because face masks don't do much for those who aren't infected with the virus. It's also something she should know, considering her character met her own grim fate in 2011's disease-thriller Contagion.
Miranda Kerr has been trying to fight an invisible virus with celery
Miranda Kerr's obsession with celery has been well-documented throughout the years. The model gushed about the crunchy green vegetable to Vogue back in 2018, saying, "I have been drinking celery juice on an empty stomach every morning for several months now after reading about its benefits. I've seen a huge difference in my skin and digestion." The following year, the supermodel revealed she had got her whole family in on the trend.
While drinking celery juice isn't necessarily a bad thing, it also should not be your first line of defense when you're fighting the novel coronavirus. In March 2020, Kerr posted, then deleted, a photo of a book titled Virus Protection to her Instagram account (via NewsHub.) Written by "magical medium" Anthony William, his website claims he "was born with the unique ability to converse with Spirit of Compassion who provides him with extraordinarily accurate health information." Uh, okay? One of his tips? According to 10 Daily, Williams suggests fighting viruses off by "consuming two cups of celery juice on an empty stomach every morning [and] eating cloves of raw garlic."
Of course, Kerr instantly came under fire for promoting the book, which is probably the reason why it's not up anymore. With no scientific validity to back the facts up, the former Victoria's Secret model can keep chugging celery juice and eating raw garlic — but maybe leave the virology to the pros.
Naomi Campbell has prepped for the coronavirus for years
Naomi Campbell makes a lot of lists of celebrities who aren't known for their down-to-earth behavior. The supermodel, who at the peak of her fame was known for her diva antics, is also a germaphobe — something that she's made very apparent to those who follow her YouTube channel. In July 2019, the model posted a video that showed her aggressively wiping down her seat on a flight. The Washington Post dubbed it "the most skillfully executed disinfection of a first-class airline seat in modern visual history," and to be honest, it was.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems Campbell is similarly well-protected. The model posted a now-viral photo on Twitter of herself fully-decked out in a hazmat suit at the airport. She then followed it up with a YouTube video, which documents her flight from Los Angeles to New York. "The mask I started wearing in the '90s, and the cleaning of the [airplane] seat I started doing ... 17 years ago," she revealed. Near the end of her vlog, Campbell notes that on the plane, people moved to sit further away from her. "Everybody didn't want to be around me, but that's cool, I didn't wanna be around them either." An absolute 2020 mood, if you ask us.
It looks like Campbell isn't the only one that's invested in an entire preventative outfit. Howie Mandel of America's Got Talent did the same, and so did Avengers star, Sebastian Stan.
Gisele Bundchen announced her full support... then went on vacation
Gisele Bundchen may not be taking the novel coronavirus as seriously as she should — especially since she was caught contradicting herself during the pandemic. In an Instagram post written in both her native Portuguese and English, the model shared, "What is happening in the world is the ultimate reminder that we are all connected to each other and what we choose to do is going to affect us all." Offering up some wisdom, she added, "For this moment of crisis, we need to understand the importance of physical distancing," finishing off her message with, "We're all in this together."
That being said, as the Mirror points out, Bundchen may not be practicing what she's preaching, as she was later spotted on vacation in Costa Rica with her family. As the CDC points out, there are a number of different things to consider before you decide to go on a vacation during the novel coronavirus global pandemic — such as checking to see if COVID-19 is spreading in the area where you're going. Considering Costa Rica declared a state of emergency in response to the pandemic, it seems a bit strange to go on vacation, instead of practicing social distancing, no?
While it's unclear exactly when Bundchen left for Costa Rica with her family, perhaps she should take a page from Naomi Campbell's book, get herself a hazmat suit, and fly back home.
Kim Kardashian has been tweeting vague psychic predictions
Kim Kardashian has been known to do some pretty strange things, like the time she shared her bizarre "vampire facial," or the other time she revealed she keeps "every single coat and outfit" she's ever worn in a fashion archive. Uh... right.
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the KKW Beauty owner tweeted a photo of a strange psychic prediction made by Sylvia Browne in 2008 that Kourtney Kardashian sent to their family group chat. The screencap reads as follows: "In around 2020 a severe pneumonia-like illness will spread throughout the globe, attacking the lungs and bronchial tubes and resisting all known treatments. Almost more baffling than the illness itself will be the fact that it will suddenly vanish as quickly as it arrived, attack again ten years later, and then disappear completely." Sounds a bit familiar, no?
Well, as it turns out, the late psychic had no shortage of critics calling her a fraud throughout her career. Per HuffPost, Browne, who rose to popularity making frequent appearances on the The Montel Williams Show, wasn't actually that good at predicting anything. As the Skeptical Inquirer notes, "In the 115 available cases [on the show], Browne was correct zero times." Sorry, Kim!
Frank Iero is busy fueling yet another Tide Pod myth
Just when you thought ridiculous uses for Tide Pods weren't a thing anymore, Frank Iero of My Chemical Romance is bringing them back to the masses — and he's not doing laundry.
The guitarist used Instagram to post a video of a someone attempting to wash their hands with a Tide Pod, captioning the clip: "Protect yourself by washing your hands for at least 20 seconds they said." The flawed plan goes significantly awry when the gel pod completely bursts, and spraying the person holding it and the person holding the camera. We're hoping this was just a joke, as it clearly wasn't Iero's brightest moment.
The good news? The rest of Iero's musical homies seem to have their act together, as they announced on March 13, 2020 that they would "postpone [their] performances in Australia and New Zealand," in an effort to make "the right decision for [their] fans, the band, [their] crew, and [their] families."
And this goes without saying, of course, but using Tide Pods for anything other than placing them in your laundry machine has not been approved by any medical professionals.
The bizarre face mask selfie craze
It looks like during the COVID-19 virus outbreak, the newest celebrity social media trend is taking face mask selfies, much like Gwyneth Paltrow, Bella Hadid (above), and, well, practically every A-lister. Even O.J. Simpson got in on the craze, donning a mask in both his since-deleted "cash sanitizing" video and his Costco hoarding photo, which honestly should have been enough to get the rest of Hollywood to snip the straps on their N-95s. And as with all things Tinseltown, some have already taken things the height of lunacy by blinging up their masks. Newsflash! This trend is actually not at all helpful in preventing the disease.
According to the World Health Organization, "Only wear a mask if you are ill with COVID-19 symptoms (especially coughing) or looking after someone who may have COVID-19." The site then goes on to note that "if you are not ill or looking after someone who is ill then you are wasting a mask. There is a world-wide shortage of masks, so WHO urges people to use masks wisely." Considering the global shortage of face masks is no joke, this online trend is doing more harm than good.
While it's not certain whether or not some of these A-listers are looking after someone who may have the coronavirus, we're hoping this ridiculous (and worrisome) trend is put to rest as soon as possible.