Celebrities Share Their Quarantine Experiences
April 19, 2020
As President Trump issues his “15 Days to Slow the Spread” initiative to curb the effect of Coronavirus, civilians around the country are being urged to stay indoors and avoid human contact. Among the self-quarantined, celebrities are also confined to their elaborate homes, showing that stars really are just like us. Luckily, celebrities are frequently posting on social media and creating live streams to keep all of us normal people entertained.
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are keeping everyone up-to-date on their confined lives. From posting pictures of their daughter, Ruby, to trying on patterned, matching family swimsuits, to talking on the phone with Ellen DeGeneres, the Teigen-Legend household is staying sane one day at a time. In addition, their cute Instagram live streams help the general public feel connected, if only through coronavirus, to this superstar family.
Not only staying connected with Teigen and Legend, DeGeneres is also posting videos of her phone conversations with Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel. She even called Adam Levine to wish him happy birthday amid the threats of the pandemic. DeGeneres is keeping herself, and us, busy with card tricks, although she struggles greatly. David Blaine, an experienced magician, chimed in to help DeGeneres during his own self-quarantine. DeGeneres also had fun with her friend Andy Lassner when he tried and failed to prank call her. It seems like Ellen DeGeneres is having more fun during quarantine than most people have in their normal lives.
Other celebrities are also turning to social media as an escape from the boredom of self-isolation. Joe and Kevin Jonas went on Instagram live together and Joe Jonas continues to upload new Tik Toks to his Instagram story. Kevin Jonas also posted that his father’s restaurant, Nellie’s Southern Kitchen, will stay open for delivery and curbside pickup during this time and will also reach out to families in need to provide food. Miley Cyrus took to Instagram live as well to show her indoor exercise routine and entertain audiences with virtual guests including Lauren Speed and Cameron Hamilton from the Netflix reality TV show Love is Blind and actress/comedian Amy Schumer. At the same time, she continues to promote her show “Bright Minded,” a series of Instagram videos that follow Cyrus’s life and occasionally feature other celebrities as well.
Sadly, some celebrities have tested positive for coronavirus and are taking more intense measures to prevent the spread or worsening of the disease. Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for COVID-19 while on set for Hanks’s new movie about the life of Elvis Presley being filmed in Australia. As of March 17, Hanks and Wilson have been released from an Australian hospital in Sydney and have moved to self-quarantine in a rental home in Queensland, according to The New York Times. Similarly, actor Idris Elba tested positive for COVID-19 after showing no symptoms and has placed himself in isolation after discovering the results. “This is serious. Now is the time to really think about social distancing, washing your hands. Beyond that, there are people out there who aren’t showing symptoms and that can easily spread it… If you’re feeling ill, or you feel like you should be tested, or if you’ve been exposed, you should do something about it. It’s really important… There are so many people whose lives have been affected,” Elba said in a video posted to Twitter.
In a recent outburst, “High School Musical” actress Vanessa Hudgens turned to Instagram live to share her thoughts on Coronavirus, angering many people. “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… inevitable?” Hudgens said on her Instagram live when responding to a fan who asked whether she thought the pandemic would last until July. She quickly followed up, saying, “Maybe I shouldn’t do this right now,” but the clip quickly went viral. Entertainment Tonight reported that she responded first with apology videos on her Instagram in which she stated she does not “take this situation [coronavirus] lightly.”
Later, she wrote another apology on Twitter in which she said, “I realize my words were insensitive and not at all appropriate for the situation our country and the world are in right now,” Entertainment Tonight reported.
Overall, celebrities are trying to cope with the global pandemic just like the rest of us, only with slightly more drama. In the words of Matthew McConaughey in a video on his Instagram account, “This virus, this time might be the one time that brings us all together and unifies us in a long time. So let’s make some lemonade out of this lemon that we’re in the middle of, turn a red light into a green light. Just keep livin’.”
