Good sport! Ariana Grande was the target of a viral meme about staying clean amid the spreading fear of coronavirus — and her reaction was priceless.
The “Boyfriend” singer, 26, and her love for oversize sweatshirts became the focus of a hilarious video that first made rounds on social media in 2019. In the clip, a person pulls down the sleeves of a grey sweatshirt and submerges them under a running faucet, joking that it was “Ariana Grande washing her hands.”
On Thursday, March 5, Paper magazine brought back the “iconic video” amid growing concern of the mass coronavirus outbreak. Grande said “thank u, next” to the meme’s revival, commenting “hate u all” beneath the Instagram video.
Fear over the mysterious illness began earlier this year, and as of Friday, March 6, leaders of the World Health Organization have reported that nearly 100,000 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide. WHO stated that more than 3,300 people have lost their lives to the disease.
The WHO’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee previously declared a “public health emergency” of international scale, and the entertainment world has already been rocked with a number of huge changes in response to the growing concern over the outbreak.
In February, CBS confirmed that production of season 33 of The Amazing Race would be put on hold “due to increased concerns and uncertainty regarding the coronavirus around the world.” The network’s statement noted that “all contestants and production staff” were on their way home and that no one involved in the show has “contracted the virus or shown symptoms.”
Musicians like Avril Lavigne, BTS and Green Day have rescheduled tour dates, and a number of blockbuster film releases have been pushed back in response to health and safety concerns.
However, not all of the reactions to the mass panic have been fearful. As more information about the disease began to make headlines in February, Gwyneth Paltrow had a more humorous take on all of the worry.
“Paranoid? Prudent? Panicked? Placid? Pandemic? Propaganda?” she captioned an Instagram selfie as she jetted off to Paris. “I’ve already been in this movie. Stay safe.”
