Vanessa Hudgens Issues Apology for Calling Coronavirus Concerns "Bullsh*t"

Vanessa Hudgens went on Instagram and called the coronavirus pandemic "bullsh*t." She explained that her comments were taken out of context and apologized.

Clothing, Yellow, Peach, Fashion, Photo shoot, Fashion design, Outerwear, Formal wear, Textile, Silk,
Clothing, Yellow, Peach, Fashion, Photo shoot, Fashion design, Outerwear, Formal wear, Textile, Silk,
(Image credit: Stefanie Keenan)

Now that social distancing is our new normal, your fave celebs are finding creative ways to stay connected to their fans. Vanessa Hudgens is a prime example; see: her High School Musical TikTok video. But instead of continuing to make goofy videos or chatting with her followers to spread hope in this confusing time, Vanessa decided to make insensitive comments about COVID-19—a virus that's been named a pandemic and continues to claim lives around the world.

On Monday, Vanessa hopped on Instagram Live saying, "Um, yeah. 'Til July sounds like a bunch of bullshit, I'm sorry. It's a virus, I get it, I respect it, but at the same time...even if everybody gets it, yeah...people are gonna die which is terrible, but inevitable. I don't know, maybe I shouldn't be doing this right now."

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Naturally, her comments received a lot of backlash online. In response, one Twitter user penned, "Hi, @VanessaHudgens, I am not calling for your cancellation or anything, but this type of dismissiveness is what is going to get your nana and pawpaw killed. And maybe your parents. Please tell your followers that you were wrong and they need to stay home." (This was on the nicer end of the backlash spectrum.)

Some of the angrier comments, included:

To do some damage control, Vanessa went on her Instagram Story to issue a response.

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"Hey guys, so yesterday I did an Instagram Live, and I realized today that some of my comments are being taken out of context. It's a crazy time. It's a crazy crazy time, and I am at home and in lockdown, and that's what I hope you guys are doing too and full quarantine and staying safe and sane," she said. "Yeah, I don't take this situation lightly by any means. I am home. So stay inside y'all."

The followup didn't help matters since it lacked an actual apology. So Vanessa whipped out the good ol' Notes App to truly say sorry, acknowledging that her initial comments were wrong. She wrote:

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Starr Bowenbank

Starr Bowenbank is the assistant news editor who writes about all things pertaining to news, pop culture, and entertainment—you can follow her here. Writing aside, she loves singing literally everywhere, dancing in the street, hanging out in the East Village every chance she gets, and making her dreams come true.