LOS ANGELES - Taylor Swift is sending
cash to some of her fans and Rihanna has donated $6 million to
support people whose livelihoods have been upended by the
coronavirus pandemic.
Movie and record producer David Geffen said he is
self-isolating in the Caribbean on his multi-million-dollar
yacht, and Madonna posted a now-deleted video of herself in a
bathtub filled with rose petals calling the virus "the great
equalizer".
The coronavirus pandemic is bringing fans up close and
personal with celebrities in an unprecedented way, but not
everyone is liking what they see.
"Celebrities are also going through a difficult time and
they are trying to contribute in whichever way they know how,"
said Los Angeles celebrity branding expert Jeetendr Sehdev.
"What doesn't help is when many of them talk about how the virus
is an equaliser."
Appearing on social media from their kitchens, bedrooms and
sofas, A-list stars like Kate Winslet and Gwyneth Paltrow are
showing themselves without make-up and perfect hair.
Some are
also giving the public a glimpse of the mansions, swimming pools
and designer kitchens where they are hunkering down under
stay-at-home rules aimed at containing the epidemic.
But complaints of boredom or attempts to empathise have
landed with a thud in a world where millions have filed for
unemployment or are risking their health working in hospitals
and grocery stores.
Geffen was vilified on social media after posting a photo
last week of his yacht with the caption "Sunset last night...
isolated in the Grenadines".
Singer-songwriter John Mayer on
Tuesday responded with the satirical song Drone Shot of My
Yacht.
A televised Concert for America on Sunday, with musicians
filming themselves singing from home, raised nearly $8 million
for coronavirus relief. Lady Gaga sported sweatpants. Country
singer Tim McGraw sat on the diving board of a pool at his
Nashville home.
"REALLY ROUGHING IT"
A spoof video of celebrities in quarantine made by a
now-out-of-work Louisiana wedding photographer has attracted
more than 12 million views in a week. Dalton Smiley, 20, said
the video was inspired by celebrities posting about how bored
they were.
"We are really roughing it out here. The bowling alley broke
on Sunday, the ice-skating rink melted and we can't get anyone
to fix it," Smiley says in the video, posing in a pool and
drinking a cocktail.
"I don't think they are necessarily doing it to have a pity
party. They are trying to be relatable," Smiley told Reuters.
"But most of America is really struggling on how to pay the rent
and get food on the table."
Sehdev said celebrities received the best reception when
they stuck to messages that urged people to follow official and
scientific guidelines, or shared personal stories in an
authentic way, like when actors Tom Hanks and Idris Elba
announced they had the virus.
Some are going further. Swift and fellow pop star Ariana
Grande have quietly handed out thousands of dollars to fans in
dire straits.
R&B singer Lizzo donated lunches to hospitals to
thank medical staff for their work.
Rihanna and Jay-Z donated $2m to help undocumented
workers, the children of health workers and first responders,
and the homeless.
Rihanna's foundation donated a further $5m to a range of relief efforts.
And Americans found perhaps their most unlikely coronavirus
celebrity cheerleader in pop star Britney Spears, who last week
re-posted a message calling for the redistribution of wealth and
for workers to support each other.