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She’ll be there for you – unless you refuse to disclose your vaccination status.
Friends star Jennifer Aniston recently revealed she’s been forced to cut people from her “weekly routine” because they refused to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
The 53-year-old star, who’s getting ready to begin production on Murder Mystery 2, said it was unfortunate that she’d “lost” a few people either because they refused to get the vaccine, or they refused to say whether they’d been jabbed or not.
“There’s still a large group of people who are anti-vaxxers or just don’t listen to the facts. It’s a real shame,” she said an interview with InStyle's September issue.
Jen believes it’s everyone’s moral and professional obligation to disclose whether they’ve had the vaccine or not, especially given parts of America are experiencing a surge in cases of the highly contagious Delta variant. “It’s tricky because everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but a lot of opinions don’t feel based on anything except fear or propaganda,” she added.
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In June last year, the actress encouraged her 37,7 million Instagram followers to wear a mask, saying she understood that “masks are inconvenient and uncomfortable” but it’s important for everyone to take the necessary steps to protect themselves and those around them.
“People seem worried about their ‘rights’ being taken away by being asked to wear a mask. This simple and effective recommendation is being politicised at the expense of peoples’ lives. And it really shouldn’t be a debate. If you care about human life, please... just #wearadamnmask and encourage those around you to do the same,” she captioned a post.
A month later she posted a photo of a friend called Kevin who was perfectly healthy with no underlying health issues, yet he was in the hospital because he was seriously ill with the virus.
“We can’t be so naive to think we can outrun this... if we want this to end, and we do, right? The one step we can take is PLEASE #wearadamnmask. Just think about those who’ve already suffered through this horrible virus. Do it for your family. And most of all yourself. Covid affects all ages,” she said.
Jennifer, who stars in AppleTV+’s The Morning Show, received her second jab in May and encouraged her Instagram followers to follow suit.
“Fully vaccinated and it feels soooo good. We’re extremely lucky and privileged to have access to Covid-19 vaccines in the US right now. Unfortunately, that’s not the case everywhere. . . and as we know, the health of one of us affects all of us,” she said at the time.
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While some have applauded the actress, thanking her for “being part of the solution”, others are less than impressed. “I liked u, now I dislike u,” someone commented. “Don’t judge those who choose not to get vaccinated.”
“Stay in your bloody mansion and shut up,” another wrote. “You have the luxury of choice; freedom of speech and you live in a democracy. The friends you ditched have dodged a bullet. Thought you were cool. You’ve exposed yourself as a complete, fool. Get a grip.”
Since the start of the pandemic, Jennifer has been an advocate for social distancing but admits the news around the virus became overwhelming.
“We all went through news fatigue, panic fatigue, during the pandemic because we were hoping one day we’d wake up and hear something hopeful, and all we got was more insanity.”
In a recent interview with People, she spoke about how she’s been dealing with the stress, saying she’s found daily meditation very important at this time.
“And any kind of yoga practice is my meditation. I just have faith in a bigger picture, I guess. And I believe in humanity, even though there’s so much to discourage us from believing in it – but I do.”
SOURCES: CNN.COM, PEOPLE.COM, BUZZFEED.COM, INSTYLE.COM, INSTAGRAM/JENNIFERANISTON, DAILYMAIL.CO.UK, NEWBEAUTY.COM
