‘Black Panther’ Star Letitia Wright Responds After Posting Anti-Vax Video
British-Guyanese actor Letitia Wright, star of “Black Panther” and Steve McQueen’s “Mangrove,” has responded to extensive backlash after she posted a controversial anti-vax video to Twitter on Thursday night.
On Friday afternoon U.K. time, Wright tweeted, “my intention was not to hurt anyone, my ONLY intention of posting the video was it raised my concerns with what the vaccine contains and what we are putting in our bodies…Nothing else.”
my intention was not to hurt anyone, my ONLY intention of posting the video was it raised my concerns with what the vaccine contains and what we are putting in our bodies.
Nothing else.
— Letitia Wright (@letitiawright) December 4, 2020
Without comment aside from a praying hands emoji, Wright on Thursday night tweeted a 69-minute video from YouTube channel On The Table, which features lengthy commentary from Tomi Arayomi, a senior leader with Light London Church and speaker, in which he questions the legitimacy of the COVID-19 vaccination, appears sceptical of climate change, accuses China of spreading COVID-19, and makes transphobic comments. Her tweet has since been deleted, and YouTube has removed the video for “violating YouTube’s terms of service.”
“These are the dangers of the world we’re entering into today, where if you say a thing enough times people will actually believe it’s true,” says Arayomi.
“This kind of science by convenience where I’ll believe in science when it’s convenient to global warming, but I won’t believe in it when it’s convenient to gender, when it inconveniences my particular ideology, is the very reason why, if you’re working in the UN, World Health Organization, or the mass news or dial media heads, the reason the public doesn’t believe you.”
— Letitia Wright (@letitiawright) December 4, 2020
Don Cheadle, Wright’s fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe star, waded into the debate shortly after the post went viral. While the actor defended Wright, he eventually posted a critical response to the video itself.
“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.”
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
— Don “bruh, you lost” Cheadle (@DonCheadle) December 4, 2020
Reacting to the barrage of criticism following her post, Wright previously responded: “if you don’t conform to popular opinions. but ask questions and think for yourself….you get cancelled.”
if you don’t conform to popular opinions. but ask questions and think for yourself….you get cancelled 😂
— Letitia Wright (@letitiawright) December 4, 2020
The U.K. recently became the first country in the world to approve a COVID-19 vaccine. The speed at which the vaccine was approved was questioned by some, including U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci. He has since apologized.
*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from Variety can be found here ***
