Letitia Wright fought back against critics who called her irresponsible for sharing a YouTube video that questioned the safety of a COVID-19vaccine .- When challenged by her followers, Wright insisted that she should be allowed to ask questions about the origins of vaccines.
- "If you don't conform to popular opinions. but ask questions and think for yourself....you get canceled," she said.
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In a follow-up tweet posted Friday, Wright said that she was not trying to "hurt anyone" and posted the video because it raised her "concerns with what the vaccine contains and what we are putting in our bodies."
—Letitia Wright (@letitiawright) December 4, 2020
The video, which Wright shared on Thursday, was an episode from a British YouTube series called "On the Table." The footage features the show's host, Tomi Arayomi, talking at length about his personal skepticism of vaccines and the supposed ingredients of a potential COVID-19 vaccine.
—Letitia Wright (@letitiawright) December 4, 2020
"I don't understand vaccines medically, but I've always been a little bit of a skeptic of them," he says at the start of the video.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the video is a "fact-free monologue," which is "full of personal anecdotes and [Arayomi's] feelings on vaccines generally."
After Wright posted the video with an accompanying prayer hands emoji, she was quickly challenged by her followers who criticized her for using her large social media following to spread misinformation about vaccines.
"This is a frustratingly irresponsible use of a platform," one Twitter user replied to Wright's post.
—Alex Sawyer (@AJSawyer) December 4, 2020
Others called on
—HTown Boss (@boss_htown) December 4, 2020
But Wright, who is currently starring in Steve McQueen's acclaimed "Small Axe" anthology series, initially fought back saying that she believes it's "valid and fair to simply ask what's in it [the vaccine]."
—Letitia Wright (@letitiawright) December 4, 2020
And when one follower pointed out that many qualified scientists have encouraged the use of a potential vaccine, Wright replied that she had "heard from medically qualified doctors" who had their articles removed for voicing concerns.
—Letitia Wright (@letitiawright) December 4, 2020
Shortly after a cascade of replies to her post, which resulted in her trending worldwide, Wright tweeted: "If you don't conform to popular opinions. but ask questions and think for yourself....you get canceled."
—Letitia Wright (@letitiawright) December 4, 2020
Wright's Marvel colleague Don Cheadle responded to the debate, saying that he had watched the video Wright shared and it was "hot garbage," but said he "won't throw her away over it," referring to calls to cancel the actor.
—Don "bruh, you lost" Cheadle (@DonCheadle) December 4, 2020
Wright's comments come just days after the UK became the first country in the world to approve a Covid-19 vaccine for wide-scale use. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration is scheduled to meet next week to discuss approval for the same vaccine.
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