Black Panther star Letitia Wright has been scorched as an anti-vaxxer intent on “killing people” after sharing a video that questioned the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines.
On Thursday, the 27-year-old Guyanese actress tweeted a video titled: ‘Covid-19 vaccine, should we take it?’
The link led to an hour-long program hosted by Tobi Arayomi, described below the video as a Christian “Prophet,” speaker and author. Arayomi speculated that the upcoming vaccines might be harmful, arguing that their less-than-one-year production cycle is too short.
“I’ve always been a skeptic of vaccines,” Arayomi says, before comparing the anti-Covid projects to thalidomide, a sedative drug produced in the 1950s that was prescribed to pregnant women for morning sickness and infamously caused birth defects in thousands of children.
Wright tweeted out the video with a praying-hands emoji and quickly found herself under attack, even taking friendly fire from ‘Avengers’ squadmates.
“Hot garbage. … I would never defend anybody posting this,” commented fellow Marvel star Don Cheadle. He added that he still wouldn’t “throw her away” over it.
Cheadle ended the tweet saying he “had no idea” about Wright’s vaccine-related opinions, and will take this conversation “off Twitter.”
jesus… just scrolled through. hot garbage. every time i stopped and listened, he and everything he said sounded crazy and fkkkd up. i would never defend anybody posting this. but i still won’t throw her away over it. the rest i’ll take off twitter. had no idea. https://t.co/7uDlP1xwDL
Cheadle was not the only one critical of Wright. Negative comments flooded her tweets, with users calling her sharing of the video “gross” and a “frustratingly irresponsible use of a platform.”
She was accused of being an “anti-vaxxer” and, curiously, a supporter of Donald Trump.
This is a frustratingly irresponsible use of a platform.
This is gross
Leticia…you sound just like every other anti-vaxxer out there. Do you see how harmful that can be?
Some simply ridiculed Wright. “It takes guts to go on the internet and blast to millions that you intend to kill people because you think doctors know less about medicine than my one weird aunt,” blasted Evan Hadfield, son of the astronaut Chris Hadfield.
I for one am proud of you, it takes guts to go on the internet and blast to millions that you intend to kill people because you think doctors know less about medicine than my one weird aunt
I did not have @letitiawright , the actress who played SHURI, being a right-wing, antivaxxer Trump supporting conspiracy nut on my 2020 score card.
Some strongly advised that Wright better delete her controversial tweet, to avoid ruining her Marvel movie career.
Sis please don’t fumble that massive Marvel bag! There’s still time to delete this & say you were hacked ??
The star herself reacted to the backlash, saying that she was being “cancelled” for “not conforming to popular opinions and asking questions.” She did, however, delete the tweet.
if you don’t conform to popular opinions. but ask questions and think for yourself….you get cancelled ?
To her critics Wright responded directly, saying she did not wish to upset anyone, nor appear as an anti-vaccine advocate. “I’m just concerned about what’s in it that’s all. Isn’t that fair to question or ask?” she tweeted.
not my intention to make anyone upset ?? Nor am I saying don’t take it. I’m just concerned about what’s in it that’s all. Isn’t that fair to question or ask?
Commenters urging Wright not to put her career at risk might have been onto something, as the young actress is widely expected to headline the billion-dollar ‘Black Panther’ franchise. While nothing is confirmed, fans see her as a logical choice for the title role, following the tragic death of Wright’s on-screen sibling actor Chadwick Boseman, who passed in August after a years-long fight against cancer.
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