There's a certain word we've been hearing a lot of lately and it seems to not being away anytime soon (although we're all hoping it does). I'm referring to Ebola, and the hysteria the disease has been causing across the country — and world, for that matter. If you turn on the news, chances are it's being discussed. Know who else has been talking about the ebola crisis? Celebrities. Sure, they're not medical professionals, but they're still entitled to their opinions. Some of those opinions aren't the best, while others' comments completely hit the nail on the head.
Let's recap the best and worst celebrity responses about Ebola. Getting the bad news out of the way first, here is a round-up of the most appalling reactions.
Worst
Chris Brown
In news that probably surprises no one, Chris Brown's ebola comments are disappointing and awful. He tweeted about how it must be a form of "population control." He may have backtracked and said he was going to shut up, but the tweet is still up there, so I honestly don't know what he's thinking. Considering the virus can be deadly, it's probably not something to joke about. And if he was serious, then that's even worse.
See for yourself:
Cam'ron
The rapper decided he would do the world a favor and use his photo on an ebola mask. How kind of him, right? Wrong. Even though the caption says ebola isn't a joking matter, how could anyone seriously think this is a good idea? Just like with Brown's comments, I simply don't understand. Another thing I don't understand? Why he's holding a flip phone in that photo on the mask. How old is that picture?!
Taran Killam & Sarah Silverman on SNL
I love SNL as much as the next person, but I'd say their The Fault in Our Stars ebola parody doesn't rank among the best reactions to the ebola crisis. I'm not saying it's not funny, but I'm not saying it is either. I don't know how to feel about it. And the fact that it makes me uncomfortable probably isn't a good sign.
Best
Alicia Keys, Naomi Campbell, Idris Elba, & More
A group of actors and singers teamed up for the Ebola Survivor Fund to film a video with the message "ebola is not a death sentence." It's powerful and important.
Chrissy Teigen
Unsurprisingly, Chrissy Teigen had an excellent response. The outspoken model tweeted about the need to end "ebola-shaming." Just because someone has the disease doesn't mean they deserve to be exploited by the media or have their entire life story shared with the world. She also did a great job responding to people (i.e. trolls) who tweeted snarky responses to her.
Barack Obama
Does he count as a celebrity? I'm not sure, since he's a bit more official than that. But his quote is too great, so it had to be included. He reassured people about not giving into ebola hysteria by saying,
This is a serious disease, but we can’t give in to hysteria or fear — because that only makes it harder to get people the accurate information they need. We have to be guided by the science. We have to remember the basic facts.
Sounds good to me. Let's remember the facts instead of getting swept up in the hype. Oh, and let's not wear any masks with people's faces on them, OK?
Images: Getty Images (4)
