As of today, only 61% of Americans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, despite concerns about the Delta and Omicron variants.
With so many people refusing the COVID vaccine — even though it is CDC-recommended and proven to be safe — I thought it would be interesting to look back and see which celebrities have taken anti-vax stances in the past:
Note: Just because a celebrity previously made anti-vax statements does not mean they still hold those beliefs today.
Though she calls herself "pro-safe-vaccine schedule," the actress and TV personality is widely considered the face of the anti-vax movement. She blamed her son's autism on the MMR vaccine and the "compilation of so many shots" — despite the medical community refuting this claim.
Jenny spent many years as the spokesperson for Generation Rescue, a controversial organization that has been accused of spreading dangerous disinformation. She's also written several books on the subject.
2. Jim Carrey
The actor, who dated Jenny McCarthy for five years, has repeatedly objected to thimerosal — which was ironically added to vaccines during the 1930s to help prevent potentially life-threatening contamination with harmful microbes.
I am not anti-vaccine. I am anti-thimerosal, anti-mercury. They have taken some of the mercury laden thimerosal out of vaccines. NOT ALL!
After some loud pushback from misinformed people, public health agencies agreed to remove the thimerosal from most childhood vaccines out of an abundance of caution in 2001. According to the CDC, "Even after thimerosal was removed from almost all childhood vaccines, autism rates continued to increase, which is the opposite of what would be expected if thimerosal caused autism."
In an interview with HuffPost, Dr. Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, rejected Jim's claim that thimerosal is dangerous.
3. Offset
In December 2020, TMZ asked the Migos rapper if he would be getting the vaccine. "I don't trust it," he replied. He also mentioned his distrust in the government because they haven't done enough to help the Black community. Black Americans have suffered a disproportionate number of COVID-19 deaths in the US.
Six months ago, Offset said that he still hasn't been vaccinated while on the radio show The Breakfast Club. "I'm not tryna be a lab rat, man," he said, despite the fact that the vaccines were tested in large-scale clinical trials, endorsed by the FDA, and have been given to more than 200 million Americans.
4. Kat Von D
In June 2018, the celebrated tattoo artist shared a picture of her baby bump in a now-deleted Instagram post. She revealed her "personal approach to pregnancy," including the "intention of raising a vegan child, without vaccines."
Fans were outraged by the statement and immediately began boycotting her makeup line.
I can't believe that Kat Von D isn't gonna vaccinate her kids. Absolute madness. Gutted as I've only recently bought her 10 year anniversary palette. Looks like I'm gonna have to boycott her brand. I don't like injections but I know they're vital for not only me, but others.
After the backlash, Kat made another IG post. She wrote, "My husband and I are NOT anti-vaxxers. We are not against vaccines. Just because we have hesitancies and valid concerns about injecting our baby with specific chemicals and toxins does not mean we are anti anything. As a soon-to-be parent (and especially as a first-time mom) I do feel it my responsibility to have questions, and to listen to my motherly instinct to question things, and do my research."
5. M.I.A.
6. Lisa Bonet
Back in 1990, the actor appeared on The Phil Donahue Show, where she discussed vaccines and the reason why she chose not to vaccinate her daughter, Zoë Kravitz.
Lisa worried about introducing "alien microorganisms into our children's blood." She also mistakenly stated that the long-term effects could be "trivial, or they could be quite hazardous."
7. Jessica Biel
She met lawmakers with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a highly controversial man who has referred to vaccines as "a holocaust" and claimed that "the cure for most measles is Vitamin A."
Soon after, Jessica hopped on Instagram to address the backlash she received. "I am not against vaccinations — I support children getting vaccinations, and I also support families having the right to make educated medical decisions for their children alongside their physicians," she wrote.
8. Letitia Wright
In December 2020, the Black Panther actor shared a now-deleted tweet with a link to a video containing misinformation about the Covid vaccine.
After receiving major backlash, she wrote, "If you don't conform to popular opinions but ask questions and think for yourself...you get canceled."
9. Chet Hanks
10. Rob Schneider
In 2012, the actor told News10 Sacramento, "The doctors are not gonna tell you both sides of the issue. They’re told by the pharmaceutical industry, which makes billions of dollars, that it’s completely safe."
"The efficacy of these shots have not been proven," he continued. "And the toxicity of these things — we’re having more and more side effects. We’re having more and more autism."
11. Alicia Silverstone
In 2014, the Clueless actor published The Kind Mama, a guide to empower women to take charge of their fertility, pregnancy, and motherhood.
In it, Alicia states that the number of vaccines given to children has increased compared to 20 years ago. She writes, "There has not been a conclusive study of the negative effects of such a rigorous one-size-fits-all, shoot-'em-up schedule."
She cautioned new moms that there were increasing anecdotes from "doctors who have gotten distressed phone calls from parents claiming their child was 'never the same' after receiving a vaccine."
12. Samaire Armstrong
The former The O.C. star frequently posts anti-vax statements on Twitter. She called the COVID vaccine an "untested shot made by criminals." (The vaccines, which were created by scientists, have been studied and tested extensively.)
13. Kristin Cavallari
In 2014, the former The Hills star told Fox Business that she chose not to vaccinate her 1-year-old son. She repeated the myth that vaccinations are linked to autism and shared the misinformed view that the mercury in them is dangerous.
On Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Kristin said, "There are very scary statistics out there regarding what is in vaccines and what they cause: asthma, allergies, ear infections, all kinds of things. We feel like we are making the best decision for our kids."
14. Toni Braxton
In 2006, the singer announced her son, who was 3 years old at the time, was diagnosed with autism.
In her 2014 memoir, Unbreak My Heart, the singer incorrectly suggests vaccines might have had something to do with it. "Maybe it's just a coincidence that after my son's first MMR vaccine, I began to notice changes in him."
15. And finally, Robert De Niro
In 2016, Robert, who has an autistic son, defended the inclusion of Vaxxed in the Tribecca Film Festival. The movie about the alleged danger of vaccines was directed by Andrew Wakefield — the same former physician whose beliefs have been repeatedly debunked.
In 2017, Robert participated in an anti-vax panel for the World Mercury Project, now called the Children's Health Defense. After Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made a speech about vaccines being unsafe for some children, the actor said, "I thought what Bobby said was great. It was eloquent. I couldn’t have said it better myself. I agree with him 100%."
