LA influencers won't stop partying, but few are revealing whether they've spread the coronavirus
- As California COVID-19 cases spike, many LA-based influencers are ignoring social distancing guidelines and attending huge parties to socialize and make content.
- The parties, which have been attended by top influencers such as members of the Hype House TikTok collective, the D'Amelio sisters, and YouTubers like Jake Paul and James Charles, have been criticized by older creators, fans, and politicians.
- Twitter personality Elijah Daniel wrote on July 28, days after a Hype House rager, that "influencers have been confirmed to me testing positive COVID-19 after the influencer parties, like a LOT."
- Daniel also wrote that influencers who he's heard have tested positive aren't going public about contracting the disease, or warning others who have been exposed to them.
- One YouTuber named Tanner Fox made a vlog about testing positive for the coronavirus, and when he told Paul that he had been in contact with him, Paul said he didn't care.
Coronavirus cases have been on the rise in California and Los Angeles County, reaching new heights each day. LA County has failed to meet state government benchmarks regarding the coronavirus, putting it on a watchlist that could result in additional closures and increased oversight.
But in lavish homes, surrounded by cameras and onlookers, LA's influencer population has continued to meet up, work, and party without adhering to social distancing guidelines.
Over the past two weeks, as this summer's high-profile YouTuber cancellations and TikToker feuds have settled down, influencers have begun to receive increased scrutiny regarding their posts and parties in close proximity to one another.
Two major influencer parties sparked rumors that social media stars have prompted an 'outbreak'
Two recent events, in particular, generated outrage: On July 14, Jake Paul, a controversial YouTube vlogger, held a backyard party where maskless influencers swung from heavy machinery. Throngs of young LA socialites gathered outside, but videos — including the music video the event turned out to be staged for — showed that social distancing guidelines were unquestionably ignored.
One week later, on July 21, an estimated 67 influencers crowded into the Hype House, a TikTok collective of the app's A-listers. Guests included YouTubers Nikita Dragun, James Charles, Emma Chamberlain, and Tana Mongeau, along with TikTokers Charli and Dixie D'Amelio. The occasion was a birthday party for TikToker Larri Merritt (known online as Larray).
According to Elijah Daniel, an LA-based creator, "a lot of influencers have been confirmed to me testing positive for COVID-19 after the influencer parties, like a LOT." Daniel tweeted about the influencer "outbeak" on July 28, adding "And they aren't saying anything & aren't warning people they came in contact with after."
Daniel told Insider he wasn't going to call out specific influencers by name — yet. Some influencers have seemingly confirmed they haven't gotten the coronavirus, with several alluding to or stating that they have been tested regularly.
Charles apologized for attending Larray's birthday in a recent vlog and said he has tested negative "multiple times." Dragun, who organized the event, tweeted and deleted a screenshot of a negative COVID-19 test result.
But at least one YouTuber has tested positive, and posted a vlog of him finding out on July 15. In the vlog Tanner Fox says he was in close proximity to Paul two days prior, on or around July 13 — the day before Paul's party. On camera, Fox calls Paul and gives him the news. Paul says he doesn't care about having potentially been exposed, and says a doctor had just tested him at his home prior to Fox's call.
Paul and his team didn't self-quarantine after exposure.
In his vlog, Fox says he had just started experiencing symptoms that morning. But according to Harvard Medical School, a person with COVID-19 may be contagious 48 to 72 hours before showing symptoms, and emerging research shows that period may be when people are most likely to spread the virus.
Harvard Medical School also says a COVID-19 test is will produce a false negative 40% of the time if a person is tested within four days of exposure and 100% of the time if the test is conducted the day of exposure.
Party-goers were subjected to strong online backlash, but that hasn't stopped them from continuing to go out
None of the influencers who partied at the Hype House responded to Insider's request for comment, but several of them continued to go out. On July 25, Mongeau attended an indoor party with influencer Erika Costell and recorded a video of the two maskless, in close proximity, for her Instagram story.
Mongeau and Costell have since apologized, and Mongeau told fans she would stop attending parties and start social distancing. She has not posted to her Instagram story, where she previously chronicled outings, since. Larray also apologized and has posted himself self-quarantining after the Hype House party.
Dragun, however, threw another gathering at the Hype House, to celebrate another member's birthday. Social media sleuth Def Noodles noted on Twitter that "It appears to be much smaller in scale than Larray's party."
Despite continued non-adherence to social distancing guidelines, influencers have faced considerable online backlash. Older creators like Tyler Oakley, Philip DeFranco, and Ethan Klein have cautioned influencers against spreading the virus and modeling bad behavior for their young fans.
- Read more:
- James Charles apologized for being 'stupid and selfish' after partying without a mask during the coronavirus pandemic
- As Disney stages controversial park reopenings, some Disney influencers are rushing back. Others are questioning the Magic Kingdom.
- Jake Paul's new music video features footage from a party condemned by the mayor of Calabasas, where mask-less influencers swung from heavy machinery
- Dozens of top influencers gathered for a massive Hype House birthday party despite record COVID-19 numbers in California